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FIFTY    YEARS    OF    PHILATELY  33 

1885,  when,  on  the  occasion  of  my  marriage,  the  collection  was 

sold  to  Mr.  H.  Buckley  and  the  proceeds  turned  into  furniture. 

Whilst  at  the  Assay  Office  I  had  plenty  of  spare  time  (the 

office  did  not  open  on  Saturdays),  and  started  to  deal  in  stamps, 


C    J.    PHILLIPS 


and  so  quickly  did  the  business  of  stamp  dealing  grow  that  in 
May,  1890,  I  finally  left  my  comfortable  position  at  the  Assay 
Office,  and  on  30  June,  1890,  moved  to  London  and  purchased 
the  entire  business  of  Stanley,  Gibbons,  &  Co. 


34  ADVERTISEMENTS 


NOW       READY. 


Entirely  Revised  and   Greatly  Enlarged. 


THE    FIRST    VOLUME     (COUNTRIES    A    to    L) 

OF     THE 

Third  Edition 


OF 


Album    Weeds 


By   the    Rev.    R.    B.    EAREE. 

Vol.  I.    Afghanistan  to  Luxemburg.        About  580  pages,  demy  8vo. 

THIS  Work  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  the  careful  Philatelist,  who  is  naturally 
anxious  to  ensure  the  absence  of  forgeries  from  his  collection.  As  a  work 
of  reference,  in  this  particular  respect,  it  stands  entirely  unrivalled,  being  com- 
piled bv  one  who  has  acquired  a  world-wide  repute,  and  whose  speciality  has  for 
man}'  years  been  the  description  of  forgeries.  An  immense  amount  ol  labour  has 
been  bestowed  on  this  New  Edition,  so  as  to  still  further  increase  its  usefulness. 
Every  endeavour  has  been  made  by  the  Author,  in  the  description  of  new  and 
dangerous  forg-eries,  etc.,  to  briny  the  work  fully  up  to  date.  Amongst  the 
numerous  additions  maybe  noted  an  elaborate  description  of  technical  terms  met 
with  in  the  course  of  collecting.  This  section  will  be  found  especially  useful  for 
the  guidance  of  the  novice  or  young  collector.  The  illustrations  have  been  con- 
siderably  augmented,  and  a  large  and  most  interesting  series  of  postmarks, 
specially  drawn,  together  with  an  index  for  reference,  will  be  found  included. 
Altogether  the  Publishers  have  no  hesitation  in  recommending  this  publication 
as  a  most  valuable  adjunct  to  a  Philatelic  Library,  and  useful  alike  to  Collector 
and    Healer. 

VOL.     I.— Price,  bound  in  embossed   gilt  cloth,  7/6;    post-free,   8- 

VOL.  II. — In  the  press,  ready  shortly,  price  8/-,  post-free.    (Orders, 
PREPAID,  can  now  be  booked.) 


STANLEY   GIBBONS,    LIMITED, 
39i,   STRAND   (Opposite   Hotel   Cecil),    LONDON,    W.C. 


I 


THE 


hilatelic   Record 


AND 


STAMP   NEWS. 


VOL.    XXI. 


JANUARY    to    DECEMBER,    1899. 


Xonfcon  : 
SIR    ISAAC    PITMAN   &    SONS,    Ltd. 


Contents. 


Page. 

African,  South,  Collectors  . . 

••        175 

Barbadoes  Notes 

ig6 

Birmingham  Philatelic  Exhibition 

6 

Brooklyn  Exhibition  of  Stamps 

..  65,85 

Calcutta  Exhibition 

3i 

Catalogue  for  Collectors 

147 

Catalogues  and  Prices 

137 

Collectors,  Catalogue  for    . . 

147 

Correspondence 

24,  189 

Death  of  Mr.  Westoby 

199 

Denmark,  ar.  sk.  blue 

29 

Echoes  from  the  Mart 

208,  232 

Editorial  Interviews               4,  27,  4 

3»  78,  123 

Editorial  Notes   1,  25,  4g,  77,  101,  121, 

145,  157,  160,  181,  193,  209 

Ehrenbach,  R.,  Interview    . .  . .         27 

Envelopes  of  Tonga  . .  . .        194 

Exhibition,  Birmingham,  Philatelic  . .  6 

Exhibition,  Calcutta 

Exhibition,  Manchester 

Exhibit,  Notable  Stamp 


31 

§3)  io5>  127,  160 
65 


Fiasco  of  the  S.S.S.S. 
Fiscal  Notes 

Ginn,  F.  R.,  Interview 
Guam  Stamps 


56 
80,  103,  135,  152,  230 

50 
174 


Hamilton-Smith  &  Co.,  Interview     . .  78 

Imperial  Penny  Postage      . .  . .     7,  28 

India,  i^a.  Postage  Stamp  . .         57 

India,  Our  Trade  with         . .  . .        159 

Items  of  Interest  17,  43,  68,  91,  114,  140 


Japan,  Stamps  of,  from  1876 

Kashmir,  More  Missing  Dies 
Kashmir  Notes 
Kashmir  Remainders 


182 

55 
52 
53 


Lemaire,  Th.,  Interview 

Manchester  Exhibition 
Mexico,  R.  Frentzel's 


Page. 
123 

83,  105,  127,  160 
107 


Newfoundland,  Notes  on  Stamps  of. .  15 

New  Stamps  for  Tasmania. .  ..        150 

Notable  Stamp  Exhibit       ..  ..65,85 

Notes  on  Denmark,  2r.  sk.  blue         . .         29 

Notes  on  Stamps  of  Newfoundland..  15 

Novelties  and  Discoveries     13,  38,  76, 

99,  119,  200,  220 

Our  Trade  with  India  . .  . .        159 

Peckett,  W.  H.,  Interview  . .  . .  4 

Penny  Postage,  Imperial     . .  . .     7,  28 

Periodicals,  U.S.   . .  . .  . .         64 

Persia,  Stamps  of  8,  33,  60,  88,  108,  125,  211 

Philatelic  Gossip     22,  48,  73,  97,  118, 

156,  167,  180,  ig2,  205,  227 

Philately  in  the  Mags.  19,  43,  94,  153, 

165,  176,  igo,  203,  223 


Postal  Service,  Turkish 

58 

Prices  and  Catalogue 

*37 

Remainders,  Kashmir 

53 

Reviews  . .              . .              . .  23,  71, 

116 

141 

S.S.S.S.,  Fiasco  of  the 

56 

Stamps  of  Japan  from  1876 

182 

Stamps  of  Persia  8,  33,  60,  88,  108, 

125, 

211 

Societies  in  Session 

207, 

229 

South  African  Collectors 

J75 

Strange  Find 

29 

Tasmania,  New  Stamps  for 

150 

Turkish  Postal  Service 

58 

Uganda,  Stamps  of 

12 

Uruguay,  1866-72,  Varieties 

171 

U.S.  Periodicals 

64 

Westoby,  Mr.,  Death  of 

199 

Williams  &  Co.     .. 

143 

Peckett,  W.  H. 
Erenbach,  R. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


4 
27 

M.  Theophile  Lemaire 


Hamilton-Smith,  G. 
Gwyer,  Mr. 


H5 


78 
78 


tJ  y    w  i 


9-ta 


UvvV.Q?^ 


The  Philatelic  Record 


AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


JANUARY,    1899. 


Editorial   Notes. 


IT  is  with  considerable  diffidence  that  we  once  more  take  up  the  editorial 
pen  after  a  lapse  of  some  years,  with  the  hope  of  being  of  some  service, 
however  small,  to  the  philatelic  public. 

To  follow  such  eminent  previous  Editors  of  the   Record   as  Mr. 

Maitland  Burnett,  Mr.  W.  A.  S.  Westoby,  Major  Evans,  Mr.  M.  P. 

Castle,  and  the  retiring  Editor,  Mr.  E.  J.  Nankivell,  is  no  easy  task,  but  we 

ft  are  not  unknown  to  a  very  large  number  of  the  Record's  regular 

p  readers,   and   hope   that   we  can   place   some   reliance  on   their 

f     IKQQ     generous  aid  and  support,  to  enable  us  to  keep  up  the  prestige 

which  we  believe  our  little  Magazine  has  enjoyed  for  many  years. 

The  present  number  commences  the  21st  volume  of  the  Philatelic  Record, 
and  it  will  be  our  aim  to  continue  it  as  much  as  possible  on  the  same  lines 
as  the  volumes  of  the  past  few  years. 

Amongst  the  programme  we  have  in  view  will  be  found  an  excellent 
article  on  the  much-neglected  stamps  of  Persia,  by  Mr.  C.  Forbes,  who  has 
been  quietly  studying  this  country  for  some  years.  This  will  run  through 
several  numbers,  and  much  interesting  and  hitherto  unpublished  information 
will  for  the  first  time  be  given  to  the  philatelic  world.  An  eminent  authority 
on  the  subject  has  also  promised  us  what  should  be  an  important  article 
on  post  cards,  which  we  find  are  now  once  more  coming  into  favour. 

The  interviews,  with  portraits,  will  be  continued,  and  will  include  several 
eminent  collectors  and  dealers,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  on  the  Continent, 
and  also  an  interview  with  Mr.  H.  L.  Caiman,  of  the  Scott  Stamp  and  Coin 
Company,  which  we  secured  when  he  was  in  London  a  few  weeks  ago. 

Further  than  this,  we  make  no  promises  of  any  particular  articles,  but 
we  do  promise  that  we  shall  use  our  best  endeavours  to  make  the  general 
contents  of  the  Record  interesting,  not  only  to  the  specialist  and  the  general 
collector,  but  to  all  classes  of  philatelists. 

We  thank  those  subscribers  who  have  so  kindly  given  us  their  support 
for  1899,  and  also  return  thanks  for  the  magnificent  way  in  which  the 
trade  have  supported  us  with  their  advertisements,  and  hope  that  this  support 
will  be  well  merited  and  long  continued. 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


,  At  the  annual  meeting  of  German  Collectors  in   Magdeburg 

niH  r*S  we  n°tice  that  Dr.  Fraenkel  made  a  speech  in  reply  to  certain 

Uld  uerffl  n  enquiries,  which  is  full  of  interest  to  Philatelists.  Our  readers 
Mamps.  wjjj  remember  the  excitement  some  years  ago  with  reference  to  the 
overprint  of  the  North  German  design  on  various  envelopes  of  the  different 
States.  The  excitement  commenced  on  the  publication  of  Dr.  Lindenberg's 
book  dealing  with  German  envelopes,  in  which  he  boldly  asserted  that  most 
of  the  very  rare  varieties  had  never  existed  in  a  genuine  state,  and  had,  in 
fact,  been  manufactured  by  a  Philatelist,  who  was  at  that  time  not  only  well 
known  in  Berlin,  but  all  over  the  world.  In  a  long  and  interesting  speech 
Dr.  Fraenkel  informed  his  hearers  that  the  Berlin  Philatelic  Club  had  now 
succeeded  in  obtaining  certain  valuable  dies,  from  a  gentleman  who  is  the 
son  of  an  Official  in  the  Berlin  Government  Printing  Works. 

It  appears  that  this  young  man's  father  resided  for  many  years  in  the 
same  house  with  the  Philatelist  (we  do  not  know  whether  to  call  him  dealer 
or  collector),  who  was  attacked  in  Dr.  Lindenberg's  book,  and  after  a  lapse 
of  some  time  the  following  have  now  been  purchased  from  him  by  the  Berlin 
Club,  viz : — 

i.  German  Empire,  Cliche  of  the  2^gr.  stamp. 

2.  Ditto.  Reproduction  of  the  Provisional  (i)  Eagle. 

3.  North  German  Confederation,  Galvano  of  the  igr.  stamp. 

4.  Ditto.  Cliche  of  the  2gr.  stamp. 

5.  Ditto.  Cliche  of  the   square   diamond 
embossing  used  for  the  over-printed  envelopes. 

6.  Prussia,  copper  cliche  of  the  3gr.  eagle. 

7.  Ditto,    a  similar  cliche. 

8.  Ditto.    Matrix  of  the  4pf.  eagle. 

9.  Ditto.    Patrix  of  the  same. 

10.  Cliche  of  the  iopf.  value   (eagle). 

1 1 .  A  similar  cliche. 

12.  Galvano  of  the  4Sgr.  octagon. 

13.  Wurtemburg,  die  for  an  envelope  (worn  out) 

14.  A  die  for  impressing  the  pattfc  of  an  envelope  (with  post  rider)- 

15.  Bolivia,  Galvano  of  the  5c,  first  issue. 

16.  Persia,  Galvano  of  the  4  Shahi,  first  issue. 

17.  Ditto.    8  Shahi. 

What  strikes  us  most  in  the  above  list  is  that  amongst  these  German 
dies  there  should  have  been  such  things  as  the  Bolivian  and  Persian.  The 
dies  after  being  purchased  by  the  Club  were  handed  over  to  the  Berlin  Post 
Office  Museum,  so  that  they  can  never  again  be  used  for  an  improper  purpose, 
and  we  think  that  the  thanks  of  all  Philatelists  are  due  to  Dr.  Fraenkel  and 
his  friends  for  their  noble  action  in  the  interests  of  the  pursuit. 


«  H0SDj+ai         There   has  been  considerable   correspondence   in   the    Daily 

Labels  "    ■^>ress  w^^  reference  to  the  new  issue  of  labels  for  the  benefit  of 

H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  of  Wales'   Hospital   Fund.      The  first  we 

noticed  appeared  in  Evening  News  the  of  November  16th,  and  was   headed 

"  Hospital  Stamps  Boycott  causes  a  loss  to  the  Prince's  Fund  of  ^50,000  a 

year." 

Whether  the  sum  received  for  the  Hospital  Stamps  last  year  was  really 
as  large  as  stated  we  do  not  know,  but  we  thought  that  the  stamps  actually 
sold  only  came  to  something  about  ^"25,000  or  ^26,000. 


Editorial  Notes. 


The  cause  of  the  heading  was  the  fact  that  Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd., 
had,  in  an  interview  with  the  representative  of  the  Evening  News,  stated 
that  their  firm  could  not  recognise  these  labels  as  postage  stamps.  In  the 
next  number  of  the  same  paper  there  is  a  reply  from  Mr.  Percy  C.  Bishop, 
editor  of  the  Stamp  Collectors  Fortnightly,  in  which  he  endorses  Mr. 
Phillips'  point  of  view,  and  uses  the  celebrated  word  "gumpap,"  which  we 
believe  was  coined  by  himself.  For  our  own  part  we  hope  that  every  one  of 
our  readers  will  buy  some  of  these  stamps  to  encourage  the  good  cause,  as 
they  are  interesting  receipts  for  money  paid  for  the  benefit  of  Hospitals,  but 
Stamp  Collectors  must  not  forget  that  they  have  no  place  in  Stamp  Albums, 
as  they  cannot  be  used  to  prepay  letters,  and  have  no  franking  value  what- 
ever. 

When  the  two  stamps  of  i/-  and  2/6  appeared  last  year,  our  publishers, 
in  common  with  other  dealers,  dealt  in  them  with  an  idea  that  they  were 
to  be  used  during  that  one  year  only,  in  commemoration  of  Her  Majesty's 
Jubilee,  and  thought  there  would  be  no  harm  in  encouraging  a  good  cause, 
but  there  was  no  idea  that  it  would  become  an  annual  affair.  By  all  means 
let  every  stamp  collector  and  every  one  of  the  public  buy  this  year's  issue, 
but  they  must  bear  in  mind  that  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  Philately ;  in  fact, 
as  The  Eastern  Philatelist  aptly  puts  it,  "  they  are  purely  unphilatelic,  and  hence 
hardly  open  to  Philatelic  criticism." 


The   Philatelic  Record. 


Editorial   Interviews. 

BY  THEODOR  BUHL. 
Mr.  W.  H.  PECKITT. 

FROM  penny  packets  to  penny  "Post  Office"  Mauritius  is  a  far  cry 
indeed,  but  Mr.  Peckitt  has  accomplished  it.  We  knew  Mr.  Peckitt 
in  the  old  days,  when  he  bought  "  Continentals  "  (at  sixpence  a 
thousand)  and  cheap  sets,  to  sell  at  Deptford,  by  giving  them  on 
commission  to  small  shops  and  to  his  schoolboy  friends.  We  knew 
him,  as  we  have  known  so  many  of  the  London  dealers ;  but  we  know  only 
one  other  who  has  achieved  anything  like  the  same  amount  of  success  in  the 
philatelic  world  during  recent  years,  speaking,  of  course,  from  a  dealer's  point 
of  view. 

To  catch  Mr.  Peckitt  is  not  an  easy  matter  ;  he  is  always  busy,  and 
nearly  always  "  engaged."  Many  years  ago,  in  the  early  days  of  auction 
sales,  a  dealer,  who  is  now  a  prominent  member  of  the  trade,  remarked  that  a 
certain  stamp  was  as  rare  as  the  "  Dado."  To  the  ordinary  visitor  Mr. 
Peckitt  is  as  rare  as  the  Dodo.  A  few  minutes  can  be  spent  with  him  on 
most  occasions,  but  any  "interview  "  takes  time. 

However,  on  a  recent  morning  we  called  at  440,  Strand,  and  caught  Mr. 
Peckitt  disengaged  and  willing  to  talk  "  stamps  "  and  be  interviewed. 

In  reply  to  our  enquiry  "  When  were  you  born?  "  he  blushingly  replied 
"  1870."  The  fear  of  an  early  stoppage  to  obtain  information  for  the  Hecord 
prevented  us  from  asking  the  date,  as  Mr.  Peckitt  does  not  wish  to  be  inun- 
dated with  birthday  cards  ;  but  we  gathered  that  our  "  subject  "  was  born  at 
Deptford. 

"  How  did  you  first  become  interested  in  stamps?  "  was  our  next  ques- 
tion. 

"  I  commenced  with  a  small  Oppen's  Album  and  a  4^2  d.  packet  from  a 
dealer,  whose  name  I  forget — I  believe  it  was  Turner.  Afterwards  I  sold  the 
collection  for  4s.  6d." 

"  And  your  first  efforts  as  a  dealer  ?  " 

"  I  first  dealt  at  school ;  but  a  year  before  I  sold  my  Oppen's  Album  I 
used  to  sell  penny  packets  and  common  stamps  through  shops." 

"  For  a  time  you  were  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Calif,  I  believe  ?  " 
"  Yes,  we  had  an  office  in  the  Strand,  next  door  to  my  present  shop,  and 
dealt  as  Calif,  Peckitt  &  Co.     Mr.  Calif  had  been  a  dealer  for  many  years." 
"  At  that  time  you  did  not  pay  particular  attention  to  rare  stamps  ?  " 
"  No  ;  the   partnership  lasted  about  a  year,   and  it  was  not  until  Mr. 
Calif  and  I  had  separated  that  I  commenced  to  make  a  speciality  of  rarities. 
I  prefer  rare  stamps ;  they  represent  more  money  and  a  larger  turnover  ;  but 
there  is  more  profit  on  the  commoner  ones." 

"  Apart  from  the  '  Post  Office  '  Mauritius,  will  you  mention  a  few  of  the 
rare  stamps  that  have  passed  through  your  hands?  " 

"  I  had  the  4d.  Western  Australia,  with  inverted  Swan,  twice  within  six 
months,  and  five  or  six  of  the  81  paras  Moldavia.  I  bought  the  "  Blest"  col- 
lection for  ^"5,000,  another  general  collection  for  ^5,000,  the  late  Mr. 
Hastings  Wright's  collection  of  English  and  a  collection  of  Ceylon,  only 
second  to  that  of  isaron  de  Worms.  The  latter  contained  ten  each  of  the  4d. 
and  8d.  imperforate."    . 


@ur     portrait     Qallery. 


MR.    W.    H.    PECKITT. 


Editorial  Interviews. 


"As  to  the  '  Post  Office'  Mauritius,  I  believe  you  have  sold  the  id.  one 
on  envelope  which  you  recently  purchased  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  I  have  since  purchased  the  other  two  recently  discovered  in 
Bombay,  and  have  sold  all  three  of  them  at  about  ^"iooo  each." 

"  And  now  I  will  ask  you  a  plain  question,  Mr.  Peckitt.  How  do  you 
find  business  ?  " 

"  Business  at  present  is  very  good,"  said  Mr.  Peckitt  with  a  smile,  "and 
I  have  a  great  opinion  of  rare  stamps,  which  are  constantly  getting  rarer." 

"  Do  you  find  any  increase  in  the  numbers  of  collectors  ?  " 

"  There  are  more  buyers  every  day,  and  the  increase  is  specially  marked 
among  the  larger  and  advanced  collectors.  There  is  a  growing  tendency  to 
collect  only  fine  copies  and  a  great  demand  for  unused  new  issues." 

"  Do  you  find  a  preference  for  any  particular  part  of  the  world  ?  " 

"Yes,  British  Colonials  sell  better  than  others;  British  Guianas,  for 
instance,  are  very  popular,"and  there  is  a  great  run  on  Africans,  New  South 
Wales,  and  the  various  '  Companies '  stamps.  West  Indians  also  sell  very 
well,  and  there  is  a  run  on  Hong  Kong  and  India  and  a  tendency  to  buy 
Straits  Settlements." 

"  I  believe  you  do  not  publish  a  catalogue." 

"  No,"  said  Mr.  Peckitt  ;    "but  we  publish  a  price  list  and  sell  by  it." 

Here  our  subject  seemed  to  think  we  had  asked  enough,  but  we  ventured 
one  more  question. 

"  Which  do  you  consider  the  rarest  stamp?  " 

"Of  ordinary  rarities  I  should  say  the  2  cents  Hawaii,  first  issue;  but, 
of  course,  as  you  know,  there  are  many  varieties  of  stamps  which  are  rarer 
even  than  the  Hawaii  or  the  '  Post  Office  '  Mauritius,  such,  for  instance,  as  the 
Western  Australia  with  the  inverted  Swan,  unused.'''' 

Having  given  Mr.  Peckitt's  opinions,  we  will  now  give  a  short  descrip- 
tion of  his  business  premises.  The  shop  is  small,  and  the  little  room  at  the 
back  is  still  smaller,  but  it  is  packed  with  rows  upon  rows  of  books  of 
valuables.  Down  a  few  steps,  in  the  cellar  as  it  were,  is  another  room,  and 
adjoining  this  is  a  strong  room,  which  contains  three  large  safes  and  has 
been  specially  built  for  the  reception  of  volumes  and  parcels  of  stamps  of  all 
kinds.  It  runs  under  the  pavement  and  part  of  the  roadway  of  the  Strand. 
We  have  omitted  to  mention  that  the  little  room — not  the  rather  dismal 
strong  room — is  Mr.  Peckitt's  sanctum,  and  that  the  correspondence  is  con- 
ducted both  here  and  at  his  rooms  on  the  first  floor  next  door. 

Our  time  was  up,  we  said  good-day,  and  thanked  our  subject  for  a  very 
pleasant  interview.  Walking  out  into  the  Strand,  we  stood  for  a  moment 
with  one  foot  on  the  pavement  and  one  in  the  roadway,  to  make  sure  that  we 
were  really  treading  on  that  strong  room. 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Birmingham  Philatelic  Exhibition. 

BY   TIIEODOR  BUHL 

Avery  interesting  exhibition  was  recently  held  in  the  Picture  Gallery 
of  Messrs.  Graves  &  Co.,  in  Cherry  Street,  Birmingham.  It  was  not 
a  very  large  affair,  and  only  remained  open  from  i  o'clock  on  the 
7th  inst.,  until  7  p.m.  on  the  9th,  but  during  that  time  it  was  visited 
by  about  700  collectors  and  their  friends.  There  was  no  particular 
opening  ceremony,  and  when  I  arrived  there  a  few  minutes  after  1  o'clock, 
the  business  for  the  moment  consisted  of  placing  stamps  into  frames  to  com- 
plete the  show.  The  room  was  a  splendid  one  for  the  light,  and  the  only 
pity  is  that  more  space  was  not  available.  Nevertheless,  the  exhibition 
reflects  great  credit  on  its  promoters,  the  Birmingham  Philatelic  Society, 
and  particularly  on  its  energetic  Secretary,  Mr.  G.  Johnson. 

Amongst  the  rarities  were  Mr.  Bernichon's  two  celebrated  Post  Office 
Mauritius  from  the  Legrand  collection,  and  Mr.  Mackey's  celebrated  block  of 
eighty-four  2d.  blue  Great  Britain,  without  white  lines,  unused. 

From  the  true  philatelist's  point  of  view,  perhaps  the  most  interesting 
exhibits  were  Mr.  Lowe's  fine  collection  of  the  stamps  of  St.  Helena,  which 
included  the  rare  6d.  without  surcharge,  and  a  strip  of  three  of  the  id.  unper- 
forated,  two  being  with  long  line  and  one  with  short  line ;  and  Mr.  W.  D. 
Beckton's  10  frames,  containing  samples  of  his  wonderful  collection  of  Greece. 
Another  very  interesting  exhibit  was  the  collection  of  Uganda  shown  by 
Mrs.  Tebay.  Although  only  made  with  the  Remington  typewriter,  these 
'abels  are  very  interesting,  and  many  of  them  should  become  very  rare. 
Amongs  the  other  exhibits  were  the  following  : — 

R.  Hollick,  British  Bechuanaland,  British  South  Africa,  Sierra  Leone, 

Zanzibar  and  Mauritius. 
C.  F.  Larmour,  entire  sheets  of  India,  including  the  y2,  1  and  2  annas, 

first  issue. 
J.   E.  Sparrow,   triangular  Capes,  unused,  including  a  block  of  18  of 

each  value,  and  2  blocks  of  8  of  the  Emerald  1/-. 
W.  T.  Wilson,  frame  of  18  sheets  of  rarities,  including  old  British  Guiana 

and  scarce  Labuan. 
M.  P.  Castle,  a  splendid    collection  of  Saxony,  including  13  copies  of 

the  3  pfennig,  and  a  block  of  4  of  the  rare  yi  gr.,  error. 
W.  T.  Wilson,  Mexico,  including  the  rare  1,  2  and  4  reales  of  Chiapas. 
W.  Pimm,  Tobago. 
C.   H.  Coombs,  C.  F.  Tanner,  R.   Hollick,  W.  T.  Wilson,  a  frame  of 

Cape   triangulars,    including  17  woodblocks. 
C.  F.  Turner,  St.  Lucia  and  United  States. 
H.  F.  Lowe,  Ceylon. 
G.  F.  Jackson,  a  splendid  collection  of  Spain,  which  gained  a  silver  medal 

at  the  London  Exhibition. 
Mr.  Higginbottom,  a  frame  of  Barbados,  Cyprus,  and  a  few    representa- 
tive stamps  of  various  countries. 
E.  Loveridge,  Tasmania. 

The  exhibition  was  visited  by  many  collectors  and  dealers,  who  travelled 
especially  from  London,  Manchester  and  other  towns,  and  can  be  fairly  called 
a  great  success,  having  been  well  reviewed  by  the  local  press ;  and  we  hope 
to  see  many  similar  exhibitions  in  Birmingham  and  other  provincial  towns,  as 
they  tend  to  increase  the  popularity  of  our  hobby,  and  to  educate  the  non- 
philatelic  public. 


Imperial  Penny  Postage. 


Imperial  Penny  Postage. 

(From  the  Daily  Telegraph.) 

THE  Press  Association  is  informed  by  Mr.  Henniker-Heaton,  m.p., 
that  in  a  published  list  of  the  places  to  which,  on  Christmas  Day, 
the  people  of  the  United  Kingdom  may  send  a  letter  for  a  penny, 
the  important  Colony  of  Natal  is  omitted.  Mr.  Henniker-Heaton 
has  the  authority  of  Sir  W.  Peace,  the  Agent-General,  for  the  state- 
ment that  official  notification  has  been  sent  to  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  through  the 
Colonial  Secretary,  of  the  consent  of  the  Natal  Government  to  the  scheme. 
Aden  also  has  been  omitted.  Aden  Post  Office  is  under  the  control  of  the 
Government  of  India,  and  will,  of  course,  be  included.  The  difficulty 
regarding  financial  adjustment  of  the  cost  between  the  British  Post  Office 
and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  is  expected  to  be  settled  without  delay, 
particularly  as  Sir  David  Tennant,  the  Agent-General,  will  have  the 
sympathetic  assistance  of  the  Governor  of  the  Cape,  Sir  Alfred  Milner,  who 
is  now  in  London.  The  following  is  said  to  be  the  official  list  of  places 
which  have  notified  adhesion  to  the  penny  postage  arrangement  : 


Aden, 

The  Bahamas, 

British  Central  Africa, 

British  East  Africa, 

British  India, 

Canada, 

Ceylon, 

Cyprus, 

Falkland  Islands, 

Fiji, 

Gambia, 

Gibraltar, 

Gold  Coast, 

Hong:  Kong, 


Lagos, 

Leeward  Islands, 

Natal, 

Newfoundland, 

Niger  Coast  Protectorate, 

St.  Helena, 

Seychelles, 

Sierra  Leone, 

Straits  Settlements, 

Trinidad, 

Tobago, 

Turk's  Islands, 

Uganda,  and 

Windward  Islands. 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 

BY 

C.  FORBES  (Secretary  and  Librarian,  the  Central  Philatelic  Club). 

PERSIA,  or  the  land  of  the  Lion  and  Sun,  is  one  of  the  most  interest- 
ing countries,  especially  to  a  philatelist.  The  history  of  its  stamps 
discloses,  as  regards  the  first  issues,  a  woeful  tale  of  official  incom- 
petence, bribery  and  corruption.  In  a  country  such  as  Persia  where 
the  word  of  the  Shah  is  the  only  law  known,  nothing  is  done  properly, 
all  the  officials,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  are  openly  bribed. 

In  the  early  issues  the  various  kinds  of  paper  used,  and  the  indifferent 
printing  of  the  stamps  that  caused  such  numerous  varieties,  are  not  due,  as 
many  imagine,  to  speculation,  but  to  the  manner  in  which  the  work  was  done. 
Everything,  as  the  saying  goes,  was  "  from  hand  to  mouth  ;"  no  proper  print- 
ing machines  were  used,  nor  was  any  paper  stocked  for  use  ;  this  was  bought 
simply  as  required  ;  consequently,  we  get  thick,  thin,  laid,  wove,  ribbed  and 
tinted  papers,  such  as  greyish-white,  bluish-white,  and  in  the  later  printings  we 
get  the  stamps  printed  on  coloured  papers,  such  as  blue,  yellow,  etc.  Again,  as 
they  were  printed  by  hand  from  the  blocks,  very  few  of  the  stamps  printed  are 
actually  quite  perfect.  In  other  cases,  where  the  impression  taken  was  very 
poor,  the  paper  was  simply  turned  over  and  printed  on  the  other  side;  some 
also  showing  traces  of  finger  marks,  and  so  on  throughout  the  whole  story. 

The  second  and  later  issues,  however,  being  printed  abroad,  are  a  great 
improvement,  the  designs  are  very  fine,  and  they  are  the  earliest  instances  of 
stamps  printed  in  two  colours. 

We  must  admit,  to  a  certain  extent,  that  the  designs  are  a  bit  gorgeous; 
still,  the  whole  series  forms  one  of  the  finest  sets  of  stamps  ever  printed, 
and,  to  a  non-collector,  the  pages  of  an  album  devoted  to  these  stamps  would 
attract  the  eye  far  more  than  those  of  any  other  country. 

There  are  also  no  watermarks  to  puzzle  the  amateur,  but  for  the 
specialist  the  perforations  of  many  of  the  issues  form  a  study  in  themselves. 
Unfortunately,  many  of  the  earlier  emissions  have  been  forged  to  a  very 
great  extent  in  the  guise  of  reprints,  both  unused  and  with  forged  cancella- 
tions ;  still,  I  think  if  the  reader  will  follow  the  series  of  articles  carefully,  he 
will  have  no  trouble  in  detecting  them  in  the  future. 

It  seems  to  be  the  established  rule  for  writers  to  refer  to  any  books 
or  authorities  they  have  consulted. 

The  writer  therefore  states  that  he  has  made  very  little  use  of  any  cata- 
logues, lists  or  articles  that  have  been  published  in  the  past  on  the  stamps  of 
this  country. 

The  stamps  of  Persia,  although  priced  in  many  cases  very  low  in  the 
catalogues,  are  extremely  scarce,  especially  the  issues  from  1875  to  1886  ;  in 
fact,  even  with  the  later  issues  none  of  the  stamps  used  can  be  called  in  any  way 
common,  and  if  they  were  collected  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  the  West 
Indies,  the  United  States,  or  the  British  Colonies  in  Africa,  etc.,  they  would 
be  found  to  be  very  scarce,  and  the  prices  would  jump  up  at  a  bound  from  a 
few  shillings  to  as  many  pounds. 

The  postal  issues,  according  to  Stanley  Gibbons' Catalogue,  have  up  to  the 
present  numbered  179  varieties,  but  according  to  Scott's  Catalogue  for  ad- 
vanced collectors,  which  include  many  varieties  of  perforation,  etc.,  not  given 
in  other  catalogues,  the  total  number  amounts  to  288. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 


There  are,  however,  many  more  than  this,  as  there  are  many  varieties 
of  perforations,  and  a  few  errors  not  given  in  any  catalogue,  so  far  as  the 
knowledge  of  the  writer  goes. 

The  population  of  the  country  is  estimated  to  be  about  9,000,000,  but 
they  do  not  use  many  stamps,  letter  writing  being  chiefly  confined  to  the 
wealthy  classes  and  business  houses. 

There  are  at  present  about  100  post  offices  in  the  country,  and  when  we 
consider  that  the  total  area  of  the  country  is  about  630,000  square  miles,  and 
that  there  are  as  many  as  13  cities  with  a  population  of  over  30,000,  it  can 
readily  be  seen,  therefore,  that  only  towns  of  some  size  have  been  supplied 
with  postal  facilities  in  any  way.  Another  reason  for  the  scarcity  of  post 
offices  is  that  there  are  no  railways  in  the  country,  the  late  Shah  being 
bound  not  to  allow  any  railways  until  the  end  of  the  present  century.  This 
is  chiefly  for  political  reasons,  the  northern  part  of  Persia  being  under  the 
influence  of  Russia,  and  the  sourthern  part,  including  the  Persian  Gulf, 
under  British  influence. 

The  legendary  history  of  Persia  begins  far  back  in  the  mists  of  time. 
It  is  the  custom  to  assume  that  legend  means  fiction,  but  historians  are  now 
beginning  to  perceive  that  the  legends  of  a  nation  are  often  not  only  more 
interesting  and  poetic  than  what  is  called  its  authentic  history,  but  that  they 
really  suggest  actual  facts.  No  country  has  more  attractive  legends  than 
Persia,  and,  to  judge  from  them,  we  cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that  no 
nation  now  existing  has  such  a  continuous  vitality  as  the  old  land  of  Cyrus 
and  Darius. 

The  name  "  Persia"  is  not  known  to  the  people  inhabiting  the  country. 
The  Persians  call  their  land  "  Eran."  This  name  is  evidently  from  "  Ayra," 
or  "  Ariya,"  from  which  we  get  "  Ivan."  The  country  has  been  designated 
by  several  terms,  which  are  emblematical,  such  as  "  The  Land  of  Fire,"  to 
denote  the  worship  of  fire;  "The  Land  of  the  Sun,"  referring  to  the 
reverence  paid  to  the  sun  ;  also  "  The  Land  of  the  Lion  and  the  Sun,"  since 
the  flag  of  Persia  has  the  device  of  the  sun,  in  the  form  of  a  human  face, 
peering  above  the  back  of  a  lion. 

This  last  device  is  the  symbol  of  intelligence,  light,  power,  and  justice. 

Persia  is  the  original  home  of  the  progenitors  of  all  the  European  races, 
and  although  the  reader  may  call  himself  an  Englishman,  Frenchman,  Ger- 
man, etc.,  he  is,  after  all  (if  it  were  possible  to  trace  back  his  ancestors),  a 
Persian. 

The  late  Shah,  Nasr-ed-deen,  came  to  the  throne  in  1848,  and  was  a  man 
of  excellent  motives  and  decided  intelligence,  and  sincerely  desired  to  improve 
the  administration  of  his  empire,  and  generally  exhibited  a  clemency  hitherto 
rare  in  Oriental  sovereigns  ;  but  he  occupied  a  peculiar  position  owing  to  the 
situation  of  Persia,  which  is  the  seat  of  the  intrigues  of  Russia  and  England, 
the  former  power  undoubtedly  intending  sooner  or  later  to  extend  her  sway 
over  Persia ;  but  we  hardly  think  this  will  be  soon  accomplished,  for,  what- 
ever the  results  of  the  ambition  of  Russia,  enough  has  been  recorded  in 
history  of  late  to  indicate  the  vitality  of  the  Persian  race,  and  to  show  that 
even  when  for  a  time  Persia  falls  under  foreign  influence  and  rule,  she  has  in 
the  character  of  her  people  elements  that  promise  again  to  lead  her  to  assert 
her  supremacy  under  more  favourable  circumstances. 

The  Shah  was  descended  from  a  Mahommedan  dynasty,  which  has  ruled 
for  a  great  number  of  years.  He  was  by  far  the  most  modest  and  best 
disposed  prince  that  has  ever  ruled  in  Persia,  besides  being  the  most 
progressive. 

The  religion  of  the  Shah  and  the  ruling  races  in  Persia  is  a  form  of 
Mahommedanism,  the  rest  of  the  population  being  chiefly  Armenians, 
Nestorians,  Jews,  and  a  few  fire  worshippers. 


io  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  people  being — like  the  English — badly  mixed,  their  language  is  a 
mixture  of  many  opposite  elements.  The  Persian  tongue  is  greatly  corrupted 
by  words  of  Arabic  origin,  and  it  is  impossible  to  learn  the  language  without 
some  knowledge  of  Arabic ;  there  is  very  little  grammar,  but  in  its  linguistic 
smoothness  it  is  somewhat  similar  to  French  or  Italian. 

The  literature  of  the  country  is  extensive,  and  embraces  work  in  every 
department  of  knowledge,  and  is  of  greater  merit  than  any  other  Oriental 
tongue,  the  Persian  poets,  notably  "  Omar  Khayyan  "  and  "  Hafis  "  being 
greatly  admired,  both  by  their  countrymen  and,  through  translations,  by 
English  readers. 

The  Persian  people  are  given  a  fairly  good  name  by  travellers.  They 
are  more  honest  and  friendly  than  the  Mahommedans  of  Turkey,  and  com- 
pare favourably  with  Europeans  as  regards  their  generosity  and  kindliness  to 
foreigners.  They  have,  however,  a  bad  habit  of  procrastination,  in  that  they 
are  willing  to  promise  anything,  but  seldom  fulfil  the  promises  so  made. 

The  late  Shah,  unfortunately,  was  assassinated  on  the  ist  May,  1896,  by 
a  religious  fanatic.     He  was  shortly  to  celebrate  his  jubilee. 

The  present  Shah,  Muzaffer-ed-deen  Mirza,  was  born  March  1853. 

The  country  is  at  present  very  quiet,  and  little  is  known  of  him. 

Although  her  present  area  is  far  less  than  in  the  olden  times,  yet 
Persia  is  still  a  large  country,  being  more  than  twice  the  extent  of  Germany. 
The  climate,  although  warm,  is  generally  healthy,  the  soil  fertile  wherever  it 
is  irrigated  ;  and  the  progressive  tendencies  of  the  present  dynasty,  com- 
bined with  these  advantages,  indicate  conditions  that  promise  a  renewal  of 
the  greatness  of  Persia,  when  she  has  emerged  from  the  transitory  stage 
through  which  she  is  now  passing. 

The  long-continued  existence  of  the  Persians  as  an  active  race,  offers  a 
strong  belief  that  she  has  yet  before  her  a  prosperous  future. 

It  was  in  1868  that  the  first  Persian  postage  stamp  was  created,  on  the 
proposition  of  a  Khan,  Mirza  Ali  Amine  Dauleah,  Chief  Secretary  to  the 
Shah  and  Controller  of  the  so-called  Postal  Department. 

It  was  proposed  that  a  deputation  of  Persians  were  to  be  sent  to  Paris 
on  a  visit  to  the  Minister  of  Posts  to  make  arrangements  for  a  European 
postal  system. 

They  brought  back  with  them  16  copper-plate  dies,  in  moveable  blocks 
of  four,  to  represent  four  different  values.  These  were  to  be  used  for  the 
printing  of  the  stamps.  They  also  brought  a  quantity  of  perforated  proofs. 
These  proofs  were  perforated  12^  to  13,  in  various  colours  and  shades,  and  on 
different  varieties  of  paper.  They  chiefly  consisted,  however,  of  the  two-shahi 
green. 

These  stamps  were  never  used  or  issued  for  any  kind  of  postal  service. 

The  plates  were  used  for  printing  all  the  various  after-printings  of  these 
stamps  which  followed. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  1870  that  anything  further  was  done  in  the 
matter,  when  the  Shah  gave  orders  that  stamps  were  to  be  printed  from  these 
plates. 

No  decrees  were  ever  published  or  authorised.  The  commands  were 
given  verbally,  the  word  of  the  Shah  being  law. 

Not  having,  however,  any  machinery  for  printing  these  stamps,  they 
were  done  sometimes  one  by  one,  and  at  others  in  strips  of  four  ;  they  were 
all  printed  by  hand  by  a  local  printer  in  Teheran,  from  the  copper-plate  dies, 
and  are  consequently  very  poor  impressions. 

They  represent  the  arms  of  Persia,  composed  of  the  lion  of  the  Ivan, 
holding  in  his  right  hand  a  scimitar  of  the  Khorassan,  and  half  surrounding 
with  its  tail  the  sun  of  Darnis,  shining  in  the  rear. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  n 

Paper :  Thick  white  wove,  sometimes  yellowish,  and  finally  bluish.  It 
is  said  that  the  blue  paper  was  employed  exclusively  for  the  printing  of  the 
four  shahi,  but  this  was  doubtful. 

Total  number  of  this  issue  22,000,  printed  in  four  colours,  as  follows  : — 

3,000  1  sh.  Violet  (shades) 

5,000  2  sh.  Green         ,, 

8,000  4  sh.  Blue  ,, 

6,000  8  sh.  Carmine  and  Vermillion. 

These  stamps  were  used  in  Tabriz,  Meana,  Zingan,  Casveen,  and  Teheran. 
Of  the  22,000  stamps,  hardly  one  quarter  were  used,  as  it  was  soon  dis- 
covered that  there  were  no  means  of  cancelling  them ;  consequently,  they 
could  be  used  several  times. 

Another  reason  for  their  being  discontinued,  was  that  the  contract  for 
the  stamps  having  been  given  by  the  Shah  to  a  Persian  who  was  ordered  to 
print  them  by  hand,  from  the  dies  furnished  to  him,  it  was  found  that  he  had 
printed  an  enormous  quantity  over  the  number  required,  which  he  retained 
for  his  own  benefit. 

(To    be   continued). 


12  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Stamps  of  Uganda. 

By   THE   EDITOR. 


IN  looking  through  the  collection  of  the  stamps  of  Uganda,  exhibited  by- 
Mrs.  Tebay  at  the  Birmingham  Exhibition,  we  notice  certain  varieties 
which  are  not  noticed  in  Stanley  Gibbons'  new  Catalogue. 

Of  the  first  issue  (which  is  made  by  an  ordinary  Remington  Type- 
writer, and  consists  simply  of  the  letters  "  U.G."  in  the  upper  right  and 
left  hand  corners,  with  numeral  in  centre,  and  a  border  in  straight  lines)  there 
are  several  varieties.  In  every  case  the  border  consists  of  five  lines  on  each 
side  and  seven  lines  at  the  top  and  bottom,  and  all  the  used  specimens,  with 
the  exception  of  those  hereafter  mentioned,  are  cancelled  with  a  plain  cross 
in  pen  and  ink.     The  varieties  we  allude  to  are  as  follows  : — 

5c.  on  yellowish  paper  instead  of  white. 

15c.  variety,  with  a  horizontal  line  between  the  third  and  fourth  lines 

of  the  right  hand  border  (this  appears  to  exist  on  every  copy  of  the 

15c). 
Of  the  30c.  Mrs.  Tebay  shows  a  specimen  which,  instead  of  being 

obliterated  with  an  ordinary  cross,  is  cancelled  "May  12th,  G.R.B." 

in  two  lines,  with  a  line  between  them. 
There  is  also  a  pair  of  the  30c.  with  the  letters  U.G.  printed  three 

times  on  two  stamps,  the  second  U  being  over  the  G  of  the  first 

stamp,  and  the  second  G  being  almost  over  the  U  of  the  second 

stamp. 
Of  the  second  issue  of  1896  with  "V.  96.  R.,"  Mrs.  Tebay  has  a  20c. 

on  part  of  original,  and  also  a  quite  unknown  variety  of  the   10c. 

with  the  letters  U.G.  much  larger  than  in  the  original  issue,  and 

printed  in  black  instead  of  mauve. 

The  5c.  and  20c.  are  found  cancelled  with  various  initials,  instead  of  the 
ordinary  cross,  and  there  is  also  a  specimen  of  the  10c.  which  has  been 
altered,  by  pen  and  ink,  into  15  ;  the  5  being  written  over  the  O.  Further, 
there  is  a  5c.  with  the  words  "  Parcel  Post  "  written  across  in  pen  and  ink. 
Of  the  1897  set,  we  notice  a  pair  of  the  4  annas  used  on  part  of  original, 
together  with  one  of  the  ordinary  2^  annas  of  British  East  Africa. 

Although  primitive  in  style,  these  stamps  should  soon  rank  amongst  the 
rarest  of  our  modern  Colonials,  and  we  are  delighted  to  see  that  such  an 
earnest  collector  as  Mrs.  Tebay  has  been  able  to  accumulate  such  an 
interesting  collection  of  them. 


British   Empire, 


British  South  Africa. — The  £1  of  the 

re-engraved  type  has  appeared. 

Canada. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
have  sent  us  a  specimen  of  the  8c.  of  the 
redrawn  type,  with  figures  of  value  below. 

A  dhesive. 
8c.  orange  yellow. 

The  Imperial  Postage  Stamp  of  2C.  has 
appeared,  and  is  an  oblong  in  black  and  red 
with  a  map  of  the  world.  We  will  illustrate 
this  in  our  next  number. 

A  dhesive. 
2  cents,  black  and  carmine  on  white. 

Ceylon. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
kindly  send  us  the  R2.  50c.  of  this  country 
in  a  new  colour.  The  design  is  the  same  as 
hitherto,  but  the  stamp  is  now  printed  in 
lilac  on  a  bright  brick  red  paper.  The 
watermark  is  crown  C.A. ,  and  the  perfora- 
tion 14  all  round. 

A  dhesive. 
R2.  50c.  lilac  on  brick  red,  Crown  C.A.,  Perforated  14. 

Cyprus. — It  is  reported  that  a  new  set 
with  value  in  English  currency  will  appear 
shortly. 

Fiji.— Mr.  W.  A.  Hull  has  furnished  us 
with  a  list  of  perforations  which  were  not 
included  in  our  Oceania  Catalogue,  and  very 
few  appear  in  any  of  the  recent  dealers' 
catalogues.  As  these  stamps  are  printed  and 
perforated  at  the  Government  Printing 
Office,  Sydney,  they  will  doubtless  show 
from  time  to  time  all  the  perplexing  varia- 
tions of  "  denticulation  "  which  characterise 
the  stamps  of  New  South  Wales.  Owing  to 
the  comparatively  small  number  of  Fijian 
stamps  used,  it  will  become  increasingly 
difficult  as  time  goes  on  to  complete  sets 
with  the  various  perforations,  so  it  would  be 
well  for  collectors  to  be  on  the  look  out,  and 
gauge  all  their  copies  lest  a  rare  combination 
should  be  inadvertently  exchanged  away  as 
a  supposititious  duplicate. — A  ustralian  Phila- 
telist. 


Type  of  1880.       V.R.  engraved. 
Adhesives : 
id.  blue,  perf.  10  x  12. 
id.  ultramarine,  perf.  11  x  10. 
4d.  mauve,  perf.  n. 
2d.  green,  perf.  10  x  12. 
2d.  pale  green,  perf.  n  x  10. 
is.  (Queen's  Head)  pale  bistre,  perf.  n  x  10. 

Current  Types. 
Jd.  slate,  perf.  11,  12,  11  x  10. 
id.  lilac-rose,  perf.  11  x  12. 
2d.  green,  perf.  12,  11  x  12. 
Sd.  blue,  perf.  11. 
is.  bistre,  perf.  11. 

id.  black,  perf.  11,  12,  10  x  12,  11  x  12. 
id.  deep  iilac-rose,  perf.  11, 12,  12  x  11. 
2jd.  brown,  perf.  11  x  10,  12  x  11. 
6d.  rose,  perf.  11. 

Great  Britain. — Our  publishers  have  the 
one  penny  Government  parcels  with  the  sur- 
charge inverted. 

A  dhesive. 
Id.  lilac,  inverted,  surcharge  Government  Parcels 

in  black. 

New  South  Wales. — Some  more  varie- 
ties of  perforation  have  to  be  chronicled. — 

Australian  Philatelist. 

AdJiesives. 
gd.  brown  and  black,  wmk.  N.S.W.  and  Crown  (II), 

[pert.  12 
iod.  lilac  „  „  „ 

i2jd.  red  and  black  ,,  ,,  ,, 

10s.  on  white  paper,  perf.  11. 

New  Zealand. — DAmi  des  Timbres 
announces  the  issue  of  a  registration  enve- 
lope with  a  stamp  of  3d.,  of  the  type  of  1874, 
the  words  "Registration  Fee"  being  printed 
at  the  left,  and  threepence  on  the  right,  in 
thin  capitals.  The  stamp  is  on  the  flap,  but 
we  are  not  told  the  colour  of  the  paper 
Envelope,  3d.,  ultramarine., 

South  Australia. — Here  also  the  list  of 
perforations  must  be  added  to. 
Adhesives. 
is.  brown,  perf.  12J,  12J  x  11J,  11J  x  12J 
2s.  6d.  lilac,  perf.  ij,  12^,  12J  x  n£,  11J  x  i2§. 

Western  Australia. — It  is  announced 
that  the  colour  of  the  2d.  has  been,  or  is  to 
be,  changed  from  grey  to  orange. 


14 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Foreign  Countries. 


Austria.  —  Mr.  Rudol  Friedle  has 
discovered  two  very  interesting  specimens  of 
Austrian  Provisionals,  being  half  of  the  iokr. 
brown  of  1858  used  as  5kr.  Both  are  on  the 
original  covers,  and  were  posted  by  the  agent 
of  the  Danube  Steam  Navigation  Company 
in  Neu-Verbasz  on  the  5th  and  6th  March, 
1859,  and  addressed  to  the  agent  of  the 
Company  at  Klein-Stapar. 

Provisional.  Half  of  iok.,  brown,  of  1858, 
used  as  5kr. 

Brazil. — By  a  decree  the  100  reis,  violet, 
journal  stamp  was  transformed  into  a  postage 
stamp  of  200  reis,  the  figures  200  appearing 
twice,  that  is  to  say,  once  across  each  figure 
of  100,  with  the  date  1898  between  them, 
obliterating  the  word  "Jornaes."  The 
stamp  was  issued  on  the  29th  October  last. 
A  dhesive. 

200  reis  in  black  on  ioo  reis  violet  journal  stamp. 

It  is  also  reported  that  the  50  reis  blue  and 
black  has  been  cut  in  half,  and  each  part 
used  as  25  reis. 

China.— Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co.  have 
sent  us  5  values  of  a  new  set,  apparently 
manufactured  by  a  European  or  an  American 
firm,  the  execution  being  much  finer  than 
the  previous  issue.  We  will  illustrate  them 
in  our  next. 

Adhcsives, 
4c.  pale  brown. 
S  c.  salmon. 
20  c.  chocolate  brown. 
30  c.  lake  red. 
50  c.  green. 

They  are  all  perforated  15. 

Johore.— Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
have   sent  us  specimens   of   a  new  design, 
with  a  portrait  of  the  present  Sultan,  in  an 
octagonal  frame.     The  second  colour  given 
is  the  value,  which  appears  in  native  and 
European  characters  in  the  lower  corners. 
Adhesh/es. 
ioc.  green  and  black,  perf.  14 
25c.  green  and  violet,  perf.  14. 
50c.  green  and  carmine,  peif.  14. 

Mozambique.— According  to  a  Brazilian 
contemporary  the  Mozambique  Company 
have  issued  a  set  of  stamps  in  commemora- 
tion of  some  centenary.  They  are  the 
ordinary  issue  of  the  Mozambique  Com- 
pany's stamps  of  1894,  surcharged  in  three 
lines,  "  1894— Centenario.  da — India," 
with  a  line  above  and  below.  The  complete 
set,  from  z\  to  300  reis,  has  been  thus 
surcharged;  but  we  are  not  told  the  colour 
of  the  overprint. 


Adhesives  (Mozambique,  current  issue,  surcharged  in 
per/.  ii\). 
(a)  Numerals  of  value  in  black. 
2^r.  olive  yellow. 
5r.  orange, 
ior.  red-lilac. 
I5r.  brown. 
2or.  grey. 
25r.  green. 
5or.  blue. 
75r.  carmine. 
8or.  pale  green, 
ioor.  brown  on  buff. 
i5or.  brown-rose  on  rose. 
20or.  blue  on  blue. 
30or.  blue  on  bright  buff. 

(b)  In  carmine. 
5oor.  black, 
iooor,  violet. 

Peru. — Messrs.  Williams  &  Co.,  of  Lima, 
have  sent  us  specimens  of  the  new  post- 
cards, with  the  words  Correos  del  Peru 
in  ordinary  capitals,  with  a  line  underneath 
followed  by  the  words,  Tarjeta  Postal, 
then  the  word  Senor,  and  three  lines  for 
address,  with  different  views  in  the  lower 
left-hand  corner.  The  usual  directions  are 
below  the  last  line,  which,  by-the-bye,  is 
double,  one  being  thicker  than  the  other. 
The  stamp  consists  of  a  head  embossed  in 
white  in  oval,  above  which  is  the  date  1899, 
and  the  value  below.  The  value  and  the 
views  are  in  each  case  printed  in  the  same 
colour,  and  although  they  are  dated  1899, 
we  have  a  specimen  posted  to  ourselves,  and 
used,  on  November  22nd,  1898. 

Post  Cards. 

1  centavo.  black  and  violet  on  white 

2  centavos,  black  and  pink  on  white. 

4  centavos,  black  and  brown  on  white. 

It  is  stated  that  the  5  cent  "  deficit  "  of 
this  country  was  used  for  a  few  days  in  Lima 
as  an  ordinary  5  cent  postage  stamp,  some 
being  with,  and  some  without,  the  surcharge 
"Expendio." 

Of  the  30,000  specimens  of  the  1  centavo 
unpaid  letter  stamp ,  surcharged  Franque. 
November,  1897,  there  were  four  sheets  (400 
stamps),  with  the  surcharge  inverted. 

Of  the  1  cent  of  1896,  printed  in  Prussian 
blue,  which  is  the  ordinary  colour  of  the 
2  cent,  there  was  only  one  sheet  of  100 
stamps. 

Uruguay. — Here  we  have  two  more  pro- 
visionals, showing   that    there  is   evidently 
still  a  scarcity  of  £  cent,  stamps.     The  sur- 
charge is  thesame  as  those  already  chronicled, 
but  this  time  it  is  printed  in  red  on  the  1  cent 
of  1896,  and  on  the  7  cent  of  1895. 
Provisionals, 
ic.  in  red  on  ic.  of  1896,  lilac  and  black, 
£c.  in  red  on  7c.  of  1895,  green. 


Notes  on  Stamps. 


15 


Notes  on  the  Stamps  of  Newfoundland. 


From  the   Weekly  Philatelic  Era. 


In  my  notes  of  Oct.  15th,  in  speaking  of  the 
Newfoundland  3c.  type  A23, 1  made  the  state- 
ment that  there  had  never  been  a  re-issue  of 
this  stamp.  This  statement  has  been  contra- 
dicted with  the  assertion  that  three  re-issues 
of  it  are  known  to  have  been  made.  Although 
the  writer  making  the  assertion  did  not 
designate  what  the  three  re-issues  were,  nor 
why  they  should  be  considered  re-issues,  I 
presume  the  three  stamps  referred  to  are  the 
lilac-gray,  lilac  and  violet-brown  varieties  of 
type  A23.  * 

If  I  correctly  understand  the  term  re-issue 
in  its  philatelic  sense,  not  one  of  these  three 
stamps  nor  any  shade  variety  of  type  A23 
which  to  my  knowledge  exists  can  be  termed 
a  re-issue.  Webster's  definition  of  a  re-issue 
is  "a  second  or  repeated  issue,"  but  this 
definition  cannot  be  accepted  in  the  special 
field  of  philately.  If  it  is,  then  each  separate 
printing  of  a  current  stamp,  with  its  slight 
variations  in  shades,  is  a  re-issue.  Under  this 
definition  the  2c.  carmine  of  1890  could  be 
properly  termed  a  re-issue,  as  well  as  the  ic. 
dark  blue  of  1894  and  2c.  carmine-lake  and 
carmine,  triangle  I,  of  the  same  year.  This 
could  be  carried  on  until  the  number  of 
stamps  properly  designated  "re-issues"  would 
be  almost  legion. 

The  term  "  re-issue,"  for  use  in  the  field  of 
philately,  should  convey  a  definite  and 
specific  meaning  in  distinction  from  "  re- 
print "  and  "regular  issue."  A  re-issue,  thus 
differentiated,  possesses  four  distinctive 
characteristics,  each  of  which  must  be  present 
before  a  stamp  can  correctly  be  termed  such. 

First,  a  "re-issue"  must  be  of  Government 
origin,  and  receivable  for  postage  in  distinc- 
tion from  a  reprint,  which  may  be  of  either 
Government  or  private  origin,  but  is  not 
receivable  for  postage. 

Again,  a  re-issue  must  be  issued  after  the 
stamp  of  which  it  is  a  re-issue  has  become 
obsolete,  and,  in  distinction  from  a  regular 
issue,  it  must  not  be  the  current  stamp  of 
its  kind  for  regular  use. 

The  four  distinctive  characteristics,  briefly 
summarised,  are  :  1st,  Of  Government  origin. 
2nd,  issued  after  the  original  stamp  has  be- 
come obsolete.  3rd,  Receivable  for  postage. 
4th,  Not  the  current  stamp  of  its  kind  for 
regular  use.  The  distinct  line  which  it  is 
necessary  to  draw  between  re-issue  and 
regular  issue  makes  the  fourth  characteristic 
absolutely  essential,  as,  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  term,  many  regular  issues  in 
current  use  are  re-issues,  and  possess  all  of 
the  first  three  characteristics  enumerated 
above.  The  £d.,  id.  and  2^d.  of  the  Gibraltar 
1898  set  just  issued  are  examples  of  this. 
These  three  stamps  cannot,  however,  be 
correctly  designated  re-issues  in  the  specific 
meaning  of  the  term  in  the  field  of  philately. 
[»  NOTE.— The  type  A23  refers 


They  are  regular  issues  for  current  use,  in 
which  an  obsolete  type  and,  approximately, 
colour  also  has  been  reverted  to.  They  vary, 
however,  to  quite  an  extent  in  shade  from 
the  corresponding  stamps  of  the  1886  issue, 
and  their  proper  place  and  designation  is 
a  part  of  the  regular  issue  of  1898.  Mr. 
Luff  so  chronicles  them  in  the  last  A.J.  of 
P.  From  the  four  distinctive  characteris- 
tics which  I  have  enumerated  as  essential  to 
a  re-issue,  we  can  draw  the  following  as  the 
definition  of  the  term  re-issue  in  its  philatelic 
sense. 

A  re-issue  is  a  second  issue  by  a  Govern- 
ment of  a  stamp  (if  desired  for  definiteness 
this  could  read  "  postage  or  revenue  stamp") 
after  it  has  become  obsolete,  and  while  re- 
ceivable for  postage,  is  not  a  regular  issue 
for  current  use.  In  offering  this  definition, 
I  lay  no  particular  claim  to  originality,  as  I 
have  based  my  conclusions  upon  certain 
stamps  which  have  been  listed  as  re-issues, 
and  this  classification  is  generally  accepted 
as  the  correct  one.  I  refer  particularly  to 
the  re-issue  in  1875  by  our  own  Government 
of  the  1869  series.  Consider  this  re-issue, 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  stamps  possess 
each  of  the  four  characteristics  which  I  have 
designated  as  essentials  in  a  re-issue.  The 
Newfoundland  1894  re-issue,  Scott's  Nos. 
63,  64,  66,  67  and  68,  also  possess  these  four 
characteristics,  and  these  two  examples,  it 
seems  to  me,  give  a  correct  premise  from 
which  to  establish  the  exact  philatelic  mean- 
ing of  the  term  re-issue. 

To  return  briefly  to  the  question  of  re- 
issues of  the  Newfoundland  3c.  type  A23. 
Unless  there  exist  distinct  varieties  of  this 
type,  of  which  I  have  no  knowledge,  there 
has  never  been  any  printing  of  it  save  as  a 
regular  issue  for  current  use ;  neither  has 
there  been  any  issue  of  it  since  the  type 
became  obsolete.  All  the  shade  and  colour 
varieties  which  I  know  to  exist  were  simply 
changes  of  colour,  more  or  less  pronounced, 
in  different  printings  of  a  coloured  stamp.  I 
do  not  see  how  they  can  be  termed  re-issues. 
The  3c.  lilac-gray,  No.  69,  was  issued 
about  1894,  and  replaced  the  3c.  slate  as  the 
current  three  cent  stamp.  It  was  in  use 
until  replaced,  about  1896,  by  the  3c.  lilac, 
which  was  in  turn  replaced  by  the  3c.  Cabot. 
The  lilac-gray  was  not  listed  until  the  1898 
catalogue  appeared  last  fall,  and  for  some 
time  the  3c.  lilac  was  quite  generally  looked 
upon  as  the  lilac-gray.  For  instance,  the 
provisionals  were  at  first  generally  listed 
and  spoken  of  as  ic.  on  3c.  lilac-gray,  while, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  remainders  of  the  3c. 
lilac  were  used  for  the  surcharge.  There 
is  a  marked  difference  in  shade  between 
these  two  stamps,  just  as  much  in  degree  as 
to  Scott's  Catalogue.    Editor  P.R.] 


i6 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


between  the  dark  blue  and  ultramarine  of 
the  U.S.  ic.  '94,  and  there  is  an  equally 
marked  difference  in  paper  and  gum,  par- 
ticularly noticeable  in  the  latter,  which,  of 
the  lilac-grays  is  whitish  and  of  the  lilacs 
thick  and  yellowish.  Last  winter  it  began 
to  be  understood  that  the  3c.  lilac  was  not 
the  stamp  listed  in  the  catalogue  as  lilac- 
gray,  and  in  February,  in  the  Supplementary 
Catalogue  of  the  Boston  Stamp  Book,  the 
stamp  was  listed  as  an  1898  re-issue,  and 
continued  to  be  so  listed. 

That  this  stamp  was  issued  as  early  as 
1896  I  know,  because  I  was  shown  in  the 
office  of  one  of  the  largest  stamp  firms  in 
New  York  City  portions  of  a  sheet  purchased 
by  the  firm  in  Newfoundland  in  the  summer 
of  that  year.  The  most  striking  variety  of 
this  type  is  the  violet-brown,  and  regarding 


it  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  obtain  all  the 
definite  information  I  desire.  The  stamp 
itself  indicates  that  it  is  of  the  same  printing 
as  the  lilac,  and  its  scarcity  indicates  that 
the  lilacs  outnumbered  it  twenty  to  one. 

In  the  large  lot  of  used  3c.  A23,  embracing 
all  shades  which  I  have  examined  during 
the  past  ten  months,  I  found  the  lilacs  and 
violet-browns  in  about  the  same  proportion 
per  thousand,  but  unused  there  seems  to  be 
but  very  few  of  the  violet-browns  to  be  had, 
while  the  lilacs  are  comparatively  common. 

I  cannot  account  for  this  striking  colour 
of  A23,  unless  it  was  due  to  a  mistake  or 
else  a  trial  or  emergency  colour.  In  any 
event,  they  seem  to  have  been  sent  on  to  the 
general  post  office  and  very  quickly  used  up 
postally.  It  and  the  lilacs  were  apparently 
in  use  at  about  the  time. 

George  S.  McKearin. 


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Items  of  Interest. 


17 


Items  of  Interest. 


It  is  announced  that  Russia  will  shortly 
issue  a  fresh  set  of  stamps,  to  include  a  new 
value  of  6  kopec. 

Amongst  the  big  collections  to  be  disposed 
of  this  season  will  be  the  United  States 
envelopes  of  Mr.  Wm.  Thorne,  of  New 
York,  to  be  sold  by  the  Scott  Stamp  &  Coin 
Company,  or,  to  be  more  accurate,  as  we 
notice  that  the  sale  was  announced  for 
December  8th,  they  have  probably  by  now 
been  disposed  of ;  much  to  our  regret,  we 
have  not  seen  the  catalogue. 

The  following  paragraph  from  Lima,  Peru, 
appears  in  the  Melita  Philatelist,  published  in 
Malta,  and  we  think  it  is  as  well  to  publish 
it  in  the  event  of  any  of  our  readers  being 
offered  this  collection  at  some  future  date  : — 

"  One  of  the  principal  collectors  in  Lima  is 
an  Italian  business  man.  He  values  his 
collection  at  £  1,000,  and  it  certainly  makes 
a  magnificent  show  ;  but  on  close  examina- 
tion, many  of  the  rare  varieties  turn  out  to 
be  rank  forgeries ;  in  most  cases  he  was 
aware  of  this  at  the  time  of  purchase.  He 
is  not  averse  to  them  as  space  fillers,  and 
thinks  he  will  be  able  to  hoodwink  some- 
body on  his  return  to  Italy  in  a  few  months, 
as  he  formed  the  collection  with  the  intention 
of  ultimately  selling  at  a  profit.  As  he  is  a 
large  buyer,  he  is  greatly  in  demand  amongst 
several  local  dealers  whose  wares  are  not 
always  above  reproach.  This  is  rather  an 
unique  specie  of  collector." 

Another  paragraph  from  the  same  paper 
is  also  worth  reproducing  : — 

"To  the  knowledge  of  the  writer,  fully 
^250  worth  (nett)  of  stamps  were  sold  to  a 
few  collectors  in  Lima  at  good  prices  during 
the  past  week,  shewing  that  this  is  rather  a 
fair  market,  if  not  a  sure  Philatelic  klondyke 
when  properly  supplied.  The  highest  price 
realized,  ^28  for  a  beautiful  pair  of  Argentine 
1864  15c.  blue,  certainly  warrants  this  state- 
ment." 


The  Government  of  Finland  is  offering  for 
sale  the  remainder  of  the  stock  of  old  stamps 
which  have  become  demonetised. 


We  regret  to  hear  that  Mr.  J.  J.  Casey,  of 
New  York,  is  disposing  of  his  well-known 
Philatelic  Library,  thereby  giving  an  oppor- 
tunity of  purchasing  books  which  it  may  be 
almost  impossible  to  obtain  again  in  the 
future ;  in  fact,  it  is  unlikely  that  a  similar 
opportunity  of  obtaining  valuable  Philatelic 
literature  will  ever  occur  again.  We  hear 
that  the  catalogue  is  now  ready  for  the 
printers. 


It  appears  that  the  cutting  in  half  of  a 
higher  value  to  allow  each  half  to  be  used 
separately  has  not  been  entirely  confined  to 
stamps.  According  to  Herdman's  Miscellany 
it  was  a  custom  in  some  of  the  small  South 
American  countries,  until  a  few  years  ago, 
to  cut  both  silver  and  copper  coins  into 
equal  portions  to  represent  fractions  of  the 
original  coin,  and  as  such  they  were  current. 
The  8  real  piece  and  the  1,  2  and  4  real  were 
all  thus  utilized. 

Until  further  orders  the  ordinary  Postage 
Stamps  of  Hawaii  are  to  be  available  for 
postal  purposes,  not  only  in  the  Islands,  but 
for  any  correspondence  between  the  Islands 
and  the  United  States,  so  that  they  really 
become,  in  a  sense,  United  States  Provis- 
ionals. 

An  American  dealer  advertises  the  50  St. 
Louis,  plate  No.  1,  Die  B,  for  the  modest 
sum  of  ^300.  Rare  stamps  are  apparently 
not  cheap  in  the  States. 

It  is  stated  that  the  whole  stock  of  the 
service  stamps  of  Hawaii,  of  1897,  nas  been 
sold  to  an  American  firm  at  face  value,  the 
total  amounting  to  about  £1000.  We  take 
this  information  from  an  American  contem- 
porary, and  publish  it  with  all  reserve. 

From  the  same  paper,  L 'Annonce  7im- 
brologique,  we  take  the  information  that 
the  newspaper  stamps  of  the  United  States 
have  been  obsolete  since  July  last,  and  that 
the  postage  for  large  parcels  of  newspapers 
has  been  paid  in  cash  from  that  date  with- 
out any  stamp  being  used. 

It  is  reported  that  Ceylon  will,  in  the 
month  of  December,  issue  a  new  stamp  with 
surcharge  "One  penny"  to  commemorate 
the  introduction  of  the  imperial  id.  postage. 

We  are  glad  to  see  that  Mr.  J.  B.  Moens 
has  again  been  elected  president  of  the 
Bruxelles  section  of  the  International  Phila- 
telic Society  by  14  votes  and  2  blanks  out  of 
an  attendance  of  16  members. 

An  easy  way  of  distinguishing  a  forgery  of 
the  first  Chilian  unpaid  letter  stamps  from 
the  genuine  is  the  date  of  the  post  mark. 
The  genuine  stamps  are  all  dated  from  the 
1st  of  October  to  the  31st  December,  1894, 
whereas  all  the  forgeries  that  have  been  seen 
up  to  the  present  bear  the  dates  22.5.94  an(i 
7.94. 

The  perforation  of  the  originals  is  gener- 
ally 18  x  15,  whereas  in  the  forgeries  one 
finds  18J  x  15J  and  19  x   15^. 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  idea  of  the  union  of  philatelic  societies 
seems  to  be  spreading,  and  we  are  now  pleased 
to  announce  that  all  the  Belgian  soc.eties 
have  been  formed  into  one  under  the  title  of 
the  Federation  des  Philotelistes  Beiges.  The 
initiative  was  taken  by  the  Societe  Philateli- 
que  Anversoise  and  the  Club  des  Collectionneurs. 
These  two  latter  societies  alone  consist  of  220 
members,  about  200  of  which  reside  at 
Antwerp,  thus  making  the  Antwerp  society 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  world  in  point  of 
membership. 

It  is  a  pity  that  the  daily  papers  do  not 
employ  some  authority  to  write  for  them 
when  they  wish  to  give  any  information  on 
philatelic  matters.  Another  instance  of  the 
nonsense  which  is  foisted  on  the  public 
regarding  philately  appeared  in  the  Sun  of 
December  1st ;  amongst  the  other  inac- 
curacies being  a  statement  that  one  collec- 
tion was  sold  under  the  hammer  for  ^10,000. 

From  the  annual  report  of  the  Birmingham 
Philatelic  Society  we  gather  that  there  are 
now  no  less  than  241  members,  and  the  value 
of  the  exchange  packet  for  the  year  was 
^38,625  16s.  2d.,  of  which  the  large  sum  of 
^5,437  was  sold. 

An  interesting  article  on  the  envelopes  of 
Holland,  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Ente  van  Gils, 
commenced  in  the  December  number  of 
Die  Post.  It  is  remarkable  how  many 
varieties  of  a  simple  and  much  neglected 
envelope  can  be  found  if  one  commences  to 
study  the  subject,  and  we  find  that  there  are 
three  different  shapes  alone  of  the  first  issue. 
The  article  should  prove  interesting  to  those 
who  make  a  study  of  entires. 

We  hear  that  with  the  month  of  January 
a  new  paper  is  to  appear  in  Lima,  to  be 
entitled  The  Peruvian  Philatelist.  Phil- 
ately is  evidently  making  rapid  strides  in  the 
Spanish  speaking  States  of  America. 

The  following  names  have  been  added  to 
the  committee  of  the  Paris  Philatelic  Ex- 
hibition of  1900  : — MM.  J.  M.  Andreini,  L.  A. 
Beausar,  F.  Breitfuss,  LeonBrummer,  H.  L. 
Caiman,  H.  J.  Duveen,  E.  Huybrechts,  P. 
Ohrt,  W.  H.  Peckitt,  H.  Schafer,  A. 
Straessle-Cottet,  C.  Wehner,  and  Carl 
Willadt. 

M.  Marcel  Pouget  discovered  a  phil- 
atelic curiosity  of  Sierra-Leone  by  accident 
the  other  day.  When  the  change  in  the 
postal  rates  necessitated  the  creation  of  a 
2^4  pence  postage  stamp  the  postal  author- 
ities first  used  the  stock  of  ]/z  penny  and 
2  pence  stamps,  and  when  these  had  been 
used  up  they  began  to  employ  one  half  of 
the  1  penny  and  one  half  of  the  4  pence 
stamps  cut  diagonally  and  pasted  together 
so  that  it  appeared  like  a  stamp  of  two 
colours.  The  cancellation  B  31  must  cover 
the  two  halves  without  break  in  order  to 
show  its  genuineness. 


M.  Maury's  correspondent  at  Mauri- 
tius writes  that  the  sale  of  surcharged 
stamps  at  the  post-office  was  the  cause  of 
riots,  and  that  the  police  had  to  quell 
the  disturbance  raised  by  stamp  collectors 
who  fought  for  a  place  near  the  stamp 
window.  As  a  consequence  the  Governor 
ordered  the  surcharged  stamps  to  be  taken  to 
the  Treasury  and  deposited  there.  It  is 
now  thought  that  the  large  commemora- 
tive 36  cents  stamp  of  the  Queen's  Jubilee 
will  be  re-perforated  so  as  to  make  two 
stamps  of  each,  worth  18  cents  apiece  ;  at 
the  same  time  the  large  stamp  will  be  retired 
from  circulation. 

During  the  past  few  months  the  postal 
authorities  of  the  Argentine  Republic  have 
been  employing  a  method  similar  to  that  of 
the  Tunisian  officials  for  replacing  postage 
due  stamps  which  do  not  exist  in  either 
country.  The  amount  to  be  collected  on 
letters,  postage  on  which  was  insufficient  or 
not  paid  at  all,  has  been  attached  in  ordinary 
postage  stamps  perforated  with  the  letters 
"  C  Y  T,"  which  stands  for  Correos  y 
Telegrafos.  These  stamps  are  being  used  in 
a  number  of  post-offices,  and  are  said  to  be 
authorized  by  the  Government  although  no 
announcement  has  been  made  officially, 
according  to    the  Revista  Postal. 

It  is  reported  by  the  daily  Press  that 
Princess  Charles  of  Denmark  is,  or  has 
been,  an  enthusiastic  collector. 

As  it  appears  there  are  still  numbers  of 
the  obsolete  New  South  Wales  stamps  in  the 
hands  of  persons  who  are  unaware  of  their 
demonetisation,  it  has  been  decided  to 
rehabilitate  them  for  the  present. 

We  regret  that  a  .prospectus  of  an  ex- 
hibition of  postage  stamps,  to  be  held  in 
Calcutta  by  the  Philatelic  Society  of  India, 
during  the  Christmas  week,  reached  us  too 
late  for  our  last  number.  Sixteen  classes 
are  announced  for  competition,  and  a  large 
number  of  medals.  The  Committee  include 
such  influential  philatelists  as  Mr.  C.  Stewart 
Wilson,  Lady  Collen,  Surg. -Major  Harris, 
Messrs.  E.  S.  Gubbey,  C.  F.  Larmour,  and 
many  others,  including  the  Secretary,  Mr. 
P.  Alwyn  Selfe.  

Since  1873  a  mass  of  unclaimed  corres- 
pondence has  been  accumulating  in  the 
"  dead  letter  office,"  at  Santiago,  Chili, 
which  it  is  estimated  exceeded  4,000,000 
letters,  postcards,  and  packages.  It  is 
extraordinary  that  the  postal  authorities 
have  not  dealt  with  them  before  and 
returned  them  to  the  writers,  as  is  done  in 
most  countries.  Now  that  the  mass  has 
become  too  great  for  storage,  orders  have 
been  given  to  burn  them  wholesale,  only 
such  letters  as  appear  to  contain  coin  or 
bank  notes  being  opened.  Already  about 
4,375dols.  in  large  and  small  sums  have  been 
recovered,  and  over  ^22,000  in  bank  drafts 
out  of  date.  The  proceeds  have  been 
deposited  in  the  Treasury  to  await  claimants. 


The  Model   Stamp  Dealer. 

By  Gardner  R.  Kennedy. 
{From     the     Eastern     Philatelist). 

Generally  speaking  models  are  unmiti- 
gated bores.  I  hope  that  this  series  of 
opinions  will  not  receive  a  similar  con- 
demnation, Of  course  my  ideals  may  be 
mine  alone ;  nevertheless,  I  trust  that  my 
descriptions  of  what,  to  me,  would  be 
models,  will  appeal  to  some  of  the  readers 
of  the  Eastern  Philatelist  as  quite  the  proper 
thing. 

I  take  the  dealer  first,  because  the  entire 
fabric  of  the  stamp  fraternity  is  built  upon 
him.  Doubtless  there  would  be  postage 
stamp  collecting  if  there  were  no  dealers, 
but  necessarily  this  collecting  would  be 
haphazard  and  unsatisfactory.  This  is  a 
patent  enough  fact  to  all, — it  is  beyond 
argument. 

In  our  gallery  of  models,  the  dealer, 
then,  must  occupy  the  first  niche.  And  to 
me  the  primary  qualification  which  he 
must  possess,  is  neatness.  Closely  allied  is 
good  taste. 

You  know  how  much  you  appreciate  a 
clean,  neatly  marked  approval  book  or 
sheet,  with  stamps  carefully  placed  and 
with  at  least  a  passable  arrangement  of 
colours.  In  an  inverse  ratio  is  your  regard 
for  the  same  stamps  "slapped  on"  any- 
way, paper  on  the  back,  prices  marked 
and  remarked  until  the  real  one  is  a  de- 
batable question,  sheets  or  books  dirty 
and  creased, — you  know  how  it  seems. 

When  a  dealer  has  an  office  it  is  even 
more  necessary  that  he  be  careful  in  this 
respect.  Counter  books  with  unused 
copies,  oddities,  and  what  -  not  stuck 
around  the  margins,  boxes  of  loose 
"stuff"  scattered  around, — these  things 
are  not  found  in  the  office  of  "  the  model 
stamp  dealer." 

Next,  he  should  have  a  good  knowledge 
of  stamps  themselves.  This  seems  at  first 
glance  to  be  a  qualification  which  all  possess. 
But  stop  and  think  !  How  many  of  the 
dealers  you  know  are,  to  any  degree, 
philatelists  ?  Are  not  many  content  to 
be  merely  good  business  men  ? — to  have 
a  small  knowledge  of  the  stamps  they  sell 
(so  be  it  that  they  sell  them),  and  to  de- 
pend upon  others, — other  dealers,  col- 
lecting friends,  and  occasionally  a  clerk 
for  information  as  to  the  goods  they  are 
handling  ?  This  should  not  be  so  ;  but  so 
it  is. 


Following  after  some  carejulness  any 
accuracy.  Of  course  it  is  nice  to  pick  up 
a  stamp  underpriced  ;  but  it  isn't  so  nice 
to  find  a  stamp  you  want  carelessly 
marked  'way  over  value,  especially  if  you 
have  bought  it  without  reference  to  a 
catalogue.  Then  the  shoe  pinches  a 
trifle.  Neither  is  it  satisfactory  to  send 
in  a  want  list  and  have  it  filled  with  a 
wrong  watermark  or  with  the  perforation 
you  don't  want  tucked  in  either  through 
carelessness  or  on  the  supposition  that  if 
you  don't  get  what  you  asked  for  you  will 
take  what  you  are  sent. 

The  model  dealer  should  be  thoroughly 
honest.  He  will  not  work  off  damaged 
copies  on  a  beginner,  just  because  he  is 
"easy."  He  will  not  use  his  knowledge 
of  a  coming  very  hearty  slump  in  a 
certain  direction  to  work  off  all  he  has 
on  his  "  friends  "  at  a  stiff  price.  There 
are  other  things  he  will  not  do  that  I  will 
refrain  from  mentioning,  or  else  this  article 
"  won't  do  "  either,  I  fear. 

He  should  be  enterprising  to  get  what 
his  customers  desire ;  he  should  be  quick 
in  executing  their  commissions,  and  his 
correspondence  will  be  answered  in  a 
reasonable  time,  especially  letters  en- 
closing stamps  for  sale.  It  worries  a 
man  to  send  his  property  to  a  dealer  and 
then  not  hear  from  it  for,  it  may  be, 
weeks. 

He  must  be  a  social  man.  The  brusque 
dealer  may  sell  his  goods,  but  he  makes  few 
friends,  and  about  as  few  customers  who 
will  buy  of  him  if  they  can  find  what  they 
want  elsewhere. 

He  should  be  an  earnest  promoter  of  the 
welfare  of  his  local  society,  but  not  obtrusive 
at  the  meetings,  especially  with  endeavours 
to  sell.  "  Too  much  dealer "  in  stamp 
societies  is  a  bad  thing,  and  tends  to  drive 
away  the  real  collector. 

Lastly,  he  won't  be  unduly  puffed  up 
when  he  reads  this  catalogue  of  his  merits  ; 
and  if  he  is  the  other  kind, — and  we  know 
his  name  is  at  least  several, — he  will  not  be 
vexed,  but  will  turn  himself  in  his  ways, 
and  endeavour  to  be  as  nearly  as  may  be, 
that  really  rare  surprise, — The  Model  Stamp 
Dealer. 

Curious  Methods  of  Delivering 

Letters. 

(From  the  Junior  Stamp  Collector.) 

We  all  know  how  interesting  it  is  (at  least 
to  stamp  collectors)  to  read  of  the  various 
ways  in  which  letters  are  delivered,   and  of 


20 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


the  men  who  deliver  them ;  but  what  I 
propose  to  speak  of  now  is,  the  places  where 
there  are  no  postmen,  or  where  the  most 
primitive  modes  of  delivering  letters  are  used. 

I  will  first  consider  an  island,  compara- 
tively near  home,  though  it  possesses  a 
population  of  some  seventy  odd  souls,  has 
no  regular  method  of  communication  with 
the  rest  of  the  world.  I  allude  to  the  lonely 
island  of  St.  Kilda,  which  is  situated  about 
50  miles  north-west  of  the  Outer  Hebrides. 

When  an  inhabitant  of  this  place  wishes 
to  communicate  with  a  friend  living  in  some 
other  part  of  the  globe,  he  often  proceeds  to 
put  his  letter  in  a  bottle  or  tin  box  in  the 
cavity  of  a  piece  of  wood  (which  is  formed 
somewhat  in  the  shape  of  a  boat),  together 
with  a  coin  with  which  to  frank  the  letter, 
and  a  request  that  whoever  picks  it  up  will 
forward  it  to  its  destination.  A  hatch  is 
then  nailed  over  this,  upon  which  is  cut  the 
words,  "Please  open."  The  whole  is  then 
tied  to  a  bladder  made  from  a  sheep's  skin 
and  consigned  to  the  waves  when  a  north- 
westerly wind  is  blowing. 

If  the  wind  is  propitious,  the  letter  usually 
reaches  the  Hebrides  in  about  five  days  ;  but 
should  it  drift  in  a  northerly  direction,  it 
finally  lands  in  Norway.  However,  it  is 
said  that  four  out  of  every  six  letters  posted 
thus  reach  their  destination  safely. 

Travelling  across  Europe,  we  find  that  the 
dweller  on  the  southern  slopes  of  the  Cau- 
casus Mountains  who  expects  a  letter  from 
a  friend  living  on  the  plains,  sends  down  his 
dog  in  charge  of  a  tax  collector  or  pedlar, 
with  instructions  that  the  missive  is  to  be 
placed  in  a  little  pouch  in  the  ring  of  the 
dog's  collar.  This  done,  the  dog  is  let  loose, 
and  proceeds  home  with  the  mail  to  his 
master. 

In  Turkey,  it  is  said  that  the  sacks  con- 
taining the  ietters  for  distribution  lie  for 
weeks  at  a  time  in  the  office,  waiting  in  fact 
until  the  local  Cadi  finds  it  convenient  to 
hand  them  over  to  the  lowest  bidder  who 
will  undertake  to  deliver  them  within  a 
certain  number  of  days  to  the  Cadi  of  the 
town  for  which  they  are  destined.  This  the 
man  chosen  (who  is  usually  a  mountaineer) 
promises  to  do  "  if  Allah  wills."  But  should 
he  think  fit  to  visit  his  relatives  for  a  few 
days  the  people  have  to  wait  for  their  letters 
until  he  has  finished  his  little  holiday. 

We  read  that  in  the  Corea  a  very  primi- 
tive mode  of  carrying  the  mails  is  still 
adhered  to,  viz.,  the  delivery  by  ox  waggon, 
which  is  said  to  be  the  slowest  method  of 
locomotion  to  be  found. 

In  China  the  letters  of  a  mandarin  are 
delivered  by  a  special  courier,  who  is  some- 
times accompanied  by  a  military  escort. 
M.  V.  C.  Nuttall. 

The  Question  of  Colour 
Standards. 

The  question  of  a  standard  colour  nomen- 
clature in  catalogue  and  album  manufacture 
has  long  been  a  mooted  one.     And  this  is 


small  wonder  when  the  Standard  Cataloguers 
will  persist  in  using  such  terms  as  "lake" 
and  "stone"  as  the  final  designation  of 
colour.  The  "lake"  Newfoundlands,  so 
called,  might  be  green  or  brown,  and  still  be 
"  lake  ";  and  the  stamps  of  Thurn  and  Taxis, 
which  are  called  stone  by  the  cataloguers, 
should  be,  according  to  other  standards,  a 
kind  of  bluish-gray,  which  they  certainly 
are  not.  These  are  only  random  examples 
of  almost  universally  bad  colour  naming. 

Take  for  example  the  English  term 
"azure,"  usually  applied  to  a  bluish-gray 
paper,  interspersed  with  black  "thread" 
particles,  The  colour  name  clearly  is  mis- 
leading and  irrelevant. 

But  perhaps  the  greatest  difficulty  which 
cataloguers  experience  may  be  found  in  the 
colours  ranging  in  the  spectrum  between 
blue  and  red,  involving  such  shades  and 
tints  as  lavender,  purple,  mauve,  magenta, 
maroon,  lilac,  etc. 

It  is  a  generally  accepted  fact  that  colour 
cannot  be  described  except  in  terms  of  itself, 
and  that  shades  and  tints  may  be  determined 
and  defined  only  from  a  genetic  standpoint. 
That  is,  we  may  tell  how  a  hue,  tint,  or 
shade  may  be  made  by  the  blending  of  definite 
proportions  of  certain  standard  primary 
colours,  and  defining  their  combination  with 
stated  proportions  of  white  or  black;  but 
we  cannot  tell  what  a  colour  is  like.  It  is 
merely  like  itself. 

A  very  complete  and  practical  system  of 
instruction  in  colour  is  now  in  force  in  our 
public  schools,  and  one  of  the  instruments 
used  by  the  instructors  is  the  "colour 
wheel,"  which  mechanically  produces  by 
the  whirling  of  primary  colours  on  a  graded 
disc  in  proper  proportions,  the  various  hues 
desired.  Tints  and  shades  are  further  de- 
duced by  the  adjustment  of  proportions  of 
white  and  black  respectively.  Each  child  is 
likewise  provided  with  a  small  top  containing 
all  the  necessary  mechanism  for  the  same 
interesting  work,  and  is  taught  to  distinguish 
colours  by  the  proportions  of  their  com- 
ponents. These  small  tops  cost,  -perhaps, 
ten  cents  each,  and  ought  to  be  within  the 
reach  of  the  average  collector. 

Would  it  not  be  a  good  scheme,  then,  for 
the  cataloguers  also  to  buy  a  top  or  a  colour 
wheel,  which  is  likewise  comparatively  in- 
expensive, and  then  by  experiment  to  arrive 
at  some  genetic  scheme  for  colour  distinc- 
tion ?  An  accurate  knowledge  of  the  exact 
colour  of  every  stamp  in  existence  could 
then  be  had.  Some  very  interesting  facts, 
at  any  rate,  would  come  out  in  colour  study 
of  this  sort. — Eastern  Philatelist. 

How  to  encourage  Small 
Collectors. 

At  the  risk  of  quoting  too  much  from  our 
esteemed  contemporary  the  Eastern  Philate- 
list, we  cannot  refrain  from  reproducing  the 
following  extract,  which  refers  to  the  advance- 
ment of  stamp  collecting  by  encouraging 
boys  and  girls  at  school  to  spend  their  pocket 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


21 


money  in  that  direction.  For  ourselves  we 
find  that  most  boys  collect  stamps  at  some 
time  of  their  schoolboy  career  : — 

"The  best  scheme,  that  we  know  of,  would 
be  to  give  away  to  school  children  in  cities 
(and  adjacent  towns)  where  dealers  are 
located,  small  packages  of  stamps  illustrating 
geographical  facts.  We  have  discussed  this 
plan  with  educational  people,  public  school 
instructors,  and  the  like,  and  have  received 
universal  encouragement.  Of  course  the 
envelopes  enclosing  the  stamps  would  be  in- 
scribed with  the  name  of  the  local  dealer 
and  would  inevitably  lead  to  closer  acquaint- 
ance, and  gain  to  him,  as  well  as  to  philately 
at  large,  in  the  end." 

Foreign  Postmarks  on  British 
Stamps. 

We  learn  from  MekeeFs  Weekly  that  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Chicago  Philatelic  Society, 
on  November  3rd,  Mr.  J.  M.  Andreini 
exhibited  his  collection  of  British  stamps 
with  American  cancellations.  Among  his 
latest  additions  Mr.  Andreini  has  acquired 
British  stamps  with  postmarks  of  Kingston 
(Jamaica),  Peru,  and  Mexico,  and  his  col- 
lection includes  obliterations  from  almost 
every  part  of  America. 

Looking  back  about  fifteen  years,  more  or 
less,  we  remember  such  things  being  com- 
paratively common.  We  ourselves  have 
had  many  letters  from  Peru,  Nicaragua, 
Guatemala,  and  other  South  American 
States,  franked  with  English  stamps,  in  the 
days  when  the  postage  was  one  shilling  for 
each  half-ounce,  when  the  local  governments 
had  no  system  of  their  own,  and  British  post 
offices  were  established  in  Lima,  Callao,  San 
Juan,  St.  Thomas,  and  other  towns.  Such  a 
collection  must  be  interesting,  from  a  Phila- 
telic point  of  view,  if  for  no  other  reason  than 
because  it  reflects  the  past  postal  history  of 
certain  countries,  a  history  which  in  itself 
is  unique,  and  will  always  remain  so.  Hence- 
forth we  have  "Imperial  penny  postage."  As 


we  wrote  many  years  ago,  this  Imperial 
penny  post  is  only  the  forerunner  of  what  is 
sure  to  happen,  the  universal  penny  postage. 
Reminiscences  are  rather  out  of  place  in  a. 
Philatelic  Magazine,  but  we  cannot  help 
contrasting  the  old  with  the  new.  Some 
years  ago  a  letter  from  the  West  Indies  or 
South  America  was  a  rarity,  the  postage,  as 
already  mentioned,  was  one  shilling  per  half- 
ounce,  and  we  have  paid  many  hundreds  of 
these  shillings,  and  multiples  of  them,  for 
letters  to  Costa  Rica,  Guatemala,  Barbados,, 
Nicaragua,  and  any  number  of  other  places. 
Now,  instead  of  a  rarity,  the  average  2^d. 
letter  takes  up  too  much  time  ;  but  what  will 
it  be  in  the  future  ? 


Stamp  folk  must  not  imagine  that  the, 
consistent  study  of  stamps  or  that  specialism 
is  wholly  the  growth  of  the  last  five  or  ten 
years.  The  nigh-class  philatelic  magazines  of 
twenty-five  years  ago  contained  exhaustive, 
special  articles  and  various  complete  lists  of, 
for  instance,  tobacco,  spirit,  etc.,  stamps 
that  are  but  little  collected  to  day. — MekeeVs. 
Weekly. 


The  man  who  gives  away  a  few  varieties  o^ 
stamps  on  every  possible  occasion  to  encour- 
age possible  collectors  does  more  practical 
good  to  philately  than  he  who  writes  articles 
proclaiming  the  pleasures  of  philately. — 
MekeeFs  Weekly. 

According  to  a  newspaper,  the  local  post- 
office  handled  a  letter  from  the  Philippines 
on  which  the  postage  amounted  to  $8.56.. 
As  the  package  was  sent  by  a  soldier  stationed 
there,  it  was  carried  at  the  rate  of  two  cents 
an  ounce.  It  weighed  twenty-six  pounds 
and  twelve  ounces  and  was  prepaid  by  107 
eight  cent  stamps,  the  highest  denomination 
that  Uncle  Sam  has  in  his  newly-acquired, 
colony. — MekeeFs  Weekly. 


-  •   n  n« 

'Ulk-^nnnll.i.ilnllln 


Scientific  Philately. 

The  Curator  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of 
Arts  and  Sciences  has  sent  us  the  following 
interesting  letter  : — 

"  174,  Montague  Street, 

"  Brooklyn-New  York,  Nov.  2SI/1,  1898. 

"  The  Philatelic  Record, 

"  Messrs.  Buhl  *  Co.,  Ltd., 

"it,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  E.C. 

"  Gentlemen. — The  Brooklyn  Institute 
of  Arts  and  Sciences — a  public  institution  of 
the  highest  standing  and  reputation  among 
scientific  societies  the  world  over — has  estab- 
lished a  department  known  as  the  '  Section 
on  Philately,'  merging  with  it  as  a  founda- 
tion the  Long  Island  Philatelic  Society  of 
Brooklyn,  having  for  its  object,  in  the  words 
of  its  Constitution,  '  to  promote  and  encou- 
rage the  study  of  Postage  and  Revenue 
Stamps,  the  establishment  of  a  Philatelic 
Library,  and  the  formation  of  a  permanent 
collection  of  the  stamps  of  the  world  for  the 
Institute.' 

"  Thus,  for  the  first  time,  so  far  as  we  are 
able  to  learn,  Philately  has  been  recognized 
by  a  great  scientific  institution — a  recogni- 
tion which  philatelists  have  been  seeking 
for  years — and  takes  its  place  among  the 
arts  and  sciences,  acknowledged  by  the 
trustees  of  a  great  institution  as  being  worthy 
to  be  classed  among  them. 

"  With  a  view  to  establishing  a  permanent 
Philatelic  Library  for  the  Institute  for  the 
use  of  philatelists  who  desire  complete 
information  on  the  subject,  we  would  thank 
you  very  much  if  you  would  send  regularly 
to  the  Curator  copies  of  the  Philatelic 
Record. 

"The  Scott  Stamp  and  Coin  Company, 
Limited,  were  the  first  to  generously  respond 
to  our  call  for  philatelic  literature,  by  pre- 
senting us  with  a  complete  set  of  bound 
volumes  of  the  American  Journal  of  Phila- 
tely from  its  beginning.  If  you  are  willing 
to  present  the  section  with  any  bound 
volumes  of  the  Philatelic  Recoid,  or  other 
literature,  the  gift  would  be  most  acceptable, 
and  highly  appreciated.  The  names  of  con- 
tributors to  the  library  and  institute  collec- 
tion will  appear  in  the  handsome  Year  Book 
of  the  Institute.  All  literature  and  stamps 
intended  for  the  section  should  be  sent  to 
the  Curator  at  above  address. 

"Thanking  you  in  advance  for  any 
courtesy  you  may  be  able  to  extend  to  us, 
I  am, 

"Very  respectfully, 

"John  D.  Carberrv, 

"  Curator." 
Private  address  of  Curator,    1206,  Bush- 
wick  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 


Philatelic  Societies. 


CENTRAL  PHILATELIC  CLUB. 

A  Special  meeting  of  the  members  was 
held  on  Thursday,  17th  November,  at  8  p.m., 
for  the  election  of  a  committee  to  make 
arrangements  with  reference  to  the  Exchange 
packets  and  other  important  business. 

After  some  discussion  a  proposition  was 
put  to  the  meeting  that  the  new  committee 
were  to  consist  for  the  present  of  five 
members,  the  said  committee  when  elected 
to  have  power,  if  necessary,  to  add  to  their 
number,  also  to  fill  up  any  vacancies  that 
may  occur  during  their  term  of  office. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  to 
serve  as  officers  on  the  committee  :  Messrs. 
W.  L.  Dracachis,  F.  B.  Carr,  H.  Atherley, 
D.  Thomson,  and  T.  Nops. 

The  Committee  were  then  empowered  to 
draw  up  a  revised  set  of  rules  both  general 
and  for  the  Exchange  packets,  and  after  their 
meeting,  and  decision,  to  report  progress 
at  the  next  general  meeting,  to  be  held  on 
Monday,  5th  December. 

Monday,  Nov.  14th,  was  a  special  night 
for  members  and  their  friends  of  the  Central 
Philatelic  Club,  a  smoking  concert  having 
been  organized  by  the  management  of  the 
Imperial  Club,  to  which  all  members  of  the 
Central  Philatelic  Club  were  invited  free. 

The  concert  was  a  great  success,  the  large 
reading  room,  which  was  specially  fitted  up 
for  the  purpose,  being  crowded.  It  is  pro- 
posed to  hold  further  concerts  of  a  similar 
nature  during  the  winter  season.  Future 
dates  will  be  duly  announced. 

At  the  next  meeting  the  Secretary,  Mr.  C. 
Forbes,  gave  a  few  notes,  with  display,  on 
the  Stamps  of  "  Persia." 

Applications  for  membership  and  all 
enquiries  respecting  the  Club  to  be  addressed 
to  the  Secretary,  Mr.  C.  Forbks. 

"  International  Philatelic 
Union." 

PROGRAMME   OF   MEETINGS. 

Jan.  18 — Display  and  Paper,  "  Persia," 

Mr.  C.  Forbes. 
Feb.  15 — Display  and  Paper,  "  Fiscals," 

Mr   H.  Thompson. 
Mar.  15 — Display,  "  Servia," 

The  President,  Mr.  H.  R.  Oldfield. 
Apl.  19— Display,    Mr.  Joselin. 
May  17 — Annual      General      Meeting     and 
Election   of  Officers,  and  Paper 
or   Display,    to  be  announced. 


Stanley  Gibbons'  Priced  Cata- 
logue, 1899. 

Part  I.  British  Empire. 
Although  only  a  few  days  have  elapsed 
since  we  were  favoured  with  a  copy  of  the 
new  edition  of  Gibbons'  Catalogue,  we  have 
heard  it  very  much  criticised,  but  such 
criticism  has  been  entirely  confined  to  the 
prices,  and  not  to  the  book  as  a  catalogue. 
Looking  upon  it  as  a  catalogue,  and  not  as 
a  priced  list,  we  must  unhesitatingly  pro- 
nounce it  to  be  a  considerable  improvement 
on  the  previous  issue.  There  are  many 
more  pages,  but  the  paper  being  thinner,  it 
still  makes  a  handy  pocket  volume.  Amongst 
the  new  features  are  illustrations  of  the 
stamps  of  Great  Britain,  which,  by  the 
courtesy  of  the  officials,  now  appear  for  the 
first  time  after  many  years  ;  but  what  strikes 
us  most  are  the  interesting  and  copious  ex- 
planatory notes,  not  only  in  Great  Britain 
itself,  but  in  many  of  the  Colonies.  We 
observe  that  the  more  or  less  blued  paper  of 
the  early  id.  and  2d.  Great  Britain  is  now 
ascribed  to  action  caused  by  the  colouring 
matter  and  the  paper,  and  the  authors  dis- 
miss the  old  theory  of  the  gum,  with  the 
laconic  remark  that  the  "  gum  has  nothing 
to  do  with  it." 

Heligoland  appears  to  be  especially  well 
written  up,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  all 
the  stamps  of  India  surcharged  for  use  in 
native  States,  which  appear  to  be  entirely 
rewritten,  and  many  hitherto  unchronicled 
varieties  added.  The  same  applies  to  the 
native  States,  such  as  Bamra,  Bhopal,  and 
Cashmere,  the  difference  between  the  dies 
1  and  2  of  the  first  issue  of  the  latter  country 
now  being  illustrated.  We  notice  that  the 
small  surcharge,  "  British  East  Africa," 
on  the  high  values  of  India,  are  not  cata- 
logued, the  authors  remarking  that,  as  far 
as  they  know,  "these  were  not  issued  for 
postal  purposes."  We  think  there  is  a 
mistake  here,  as  we  have  ourselves  seen 
them  on  entire  letters,  showing  that  they 
undoubtedly  paid  postage  ;  and  from  corre- 
spondence that  has  been  shown  us  it  is  stated 
that  they  were  an  issue  of  November  10th, 
1895.  In  Morocco  Agencies  surcharged  on 
Gibraltar  we  find  that  the  40c.  is  inad- 
vertently omitted. 

In  New  Brunswick  we  notice  a  paragraph 
which  is  distinctly  new  to  us,  namely,  that 
the  3d.,  6d.,  and  1/-  first  issue  were  re- 
printed in  1890;  and  the  same  remark  ap- 
pears with  the  four  first  stamps  of  Nova 
Scotia. 

There  are  hundreds  of  similar  interesting 
notes,  which  we  have  no  space  to  quote 
here.  Throughout  the  work  the  surcharges 
are  splendidly  illustrated,  and  but  for  a  few 
slight  errors,  that  must  creep  into  a  work 


of  such  importance,  we  have  no  fault  what- 
ever to  find  with  the  book. 

When  we  come  to  the  question  of  prices, 
opinions  appear  to  be  very  much  divided. 
In  many  cases  important  reductions  have 
been  made,  especially  in  used  stamps,  but 
there  are  also  corresponding  increases  in 
others.  We  have  it  from  the  publishers 
themselves,  that  the  prices  are  the  actual 
figures  at  which  they  sell  the  stamps  at  the 
time  of  the  publication  of  the  catalogue,  and, 
with  hardly  an  exception,  every  stamp  is  in 
stock.  Those  who  complain  mostly  of  the 
reductions  are  dealers  who  sell  under  cata- 
logue, but  we  do  not  see  why  anyone  should 
complain  at  Messrs.  Gibbons  offering  their 
stamps  at  the  prices  at  which  they  are 
prepared  to  sell  them.  Nothwithstanding 
any  reduction  that  may  be  in  the  new 
catalogue,  the  market  value  of  the  stamps  is 
just  the  same  as  before  the  catalogue  ap- 
peared, the  only  difference,  to  our  mind, 
being  that  those  dealers  who  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  giving  large  discounts  off  cata- 
logue prices,  will  be  compelled  to  reduce  the 
discount  thus  offered,  the  effect  being  to 
make  the  catalogue  a  more  reliable  guide 
than  formerly, 

We  repeat  that,  to  our  minds,  the  market 
value  is  not  in  the  least  affected.  Amongst 
important  reductions,  we  notice  the  id.  Ba- 
hamas, imperf. ,  unused,  has  been  reduced 
from  17/6  to  10/-,  and  the  Barbados  5/-  rose, 
from  60/-  to  40/-,  the  latter  appearing,  to  us, 
to  be  rather  below  its  market  value. 

Africans,  generally,  are  "  up  "  rather  than 
"down,"  especially  the  Company  stamps, 
and  yet  there  are  some  which  we  should  not 
mind  purchasing  at  the  new  catalogue  prices. 

We  may  refer  to  the  book  again  in  our 
next  number  when  we  have  had  time  to 
further  study  some  of  the  details,  but,  on  the 
whole,  we  consider  it  satisfactory. 

A  Magazine  for  Beginners. 

Amongst  the  many  philatelic  journals 
received  by  us,  we  have  more  than  once 
noticed  The  Junior  Stamp  Collector,  which  is 
published  in  Birmingham,  and  is  intended 
for  the  small  collector  who  is  not  yet  up  to 
the  stage  of  specialism  or  fancy  varieties. 
The  December  number  contains  the  follow- 
ing paragraph : — 

"If  only  more  would  realise  that  the 
"Junior"  collector  of  to-day  is  to  be  the 
advanced  collector  and  specialist  of  to- 
morrow, and  if  dealers  would  do  more  to 
discourage  speculators  and  encourage  begin- 
ners, then  philately  in  general  would  make 
much  better  progress.  One  who  gives  a 
helping  hand  to  recruits  is  far  better  than 
he  who  introduces  into  the  philatelic  circle 
a  speculator  who  may  spend  a  fortune. " 


Duty  on  Stamps  at  the  Cape. 

To  the  Editor  of  "  The   Philatelic   Record." 

Dear  Sir, — I  notice  in  the  Philatelic 
Record  of  October  that  a  Cape  Town  corres- 
pondent advises  to  send  stamps  in  small 
parcels  in  order  to  avoid  having  to  pay 
duty.  For  such  very  dangerous  proceedings 
there  is  fortunately  no  further  cause.  I 
received  lately  a  large  parcel  of  stamps  from 
an  English  dealer  to  select  from,  and  the 
Customs  office  wanted  me  to  pay  £g  duty. 
I  strongly  protested,  of  course,  as  such  a 
charge  had  never  before  been  imposed  upon 
me.  After  some  correspondence  and  ex- 
planations, I  received  the  enclosed  letter, 
which  you  may,  with  any  part  of  this  letter 
you  choose,  publish  in  the  Philatelic  Record 
for  the  information  of  fellow  collectors  and 
dealers.        I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Yours  faithfully,  A.  A.  Andrews. 
'Graaff  Reinet,  Oct.  28,  1898. 

"  Duty  Charged  on  Postage  Stamps,  &c. 
"  Sir, — With  reference  to  your  letter  of  the 
-21st  instant,  I  have  the  honour  to  inform 
you  that  it  has  been  decided  to  admit 
postage  stamps  free  of  duty,  under  item 
No.  80  of  the  Customs  Union  Tariff,  as 
'  engravings  or  lithographs.' 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"J.  W.  Honey, 
"for  Collector  of  Customs. 
""  Customs  House,  Cape  Town,  Sept.  27,  1898. 
"Mr.  A.  A.  Andrews,  Graaff  Reinet" 


The  Album  Question. 

To  the  Editor  of '"  The  Philatelic  Record." 

Dear  Sir, — I  beg  to  thank  you  for  your 
letter  of  18th  October,  with  sample  album 
sheet  and  copy  Philatelic  Record  for  March, 
1897.  I  take  the  Record  always ;  it  is  an 
excellent  magazine. 

As  regards  the  Album,  I  am  hoping  to  be 
in  London  early  next  year,  and  (though  I 
want  new  albums  badly)  I  do  not  propose 
doing  anything  until  I  have  a  look  round  at 
home. 

It  is  a  huge  mystery  to  me  why  some 
philatelic  publishing  firm  does  not  bring 
out  catalogued  albums  for  fairly  advanced 
collectors.  The  Imperial  is  splendid  as  far 
as  it  goes ;  but  it  misses  the  needs  of  a 
general  collector,  say,  often  thousand  stamps. 
Something  more  elaborate  is  needed,  and  it 
should  be  provided  soon.  Mr.  Skipton's 
British  Empire  Album  showed  the  way,  but 
I  hear  that  has  stopped.  Plain  albums  are 
capital  for  the  pure  specialist ;  but  how  am 
I,  for  instance,  to  fix  up  twelve  or  fourteen 
thousand  stamps  in  plain  albums  ?  The 
Imperial  stops  short  at  standard  varieties. 
Yours  faithfully, 

W.  Corfield. 

Calcutta,  gtk  November,  1898. 


Notices. 


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ateiic  Kecori 

AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


FEBRUARY,    1899. 


Editorial   Notes. 


rHE  "  slaughter  of  the  innocents  "  appears  to  be  the  principal  philatelic 
topic  this  month.  It  was  started  by  Mr.  C.J.  Phillips  in  the  Monthly 
Journal,  with  a  warning  note  to  auctioneers  as  to  the  way  stamps  are 
often  described,  the  cause  of  the  article  being  the  many  absurdly 
low  prices  at  which  valuable  stamps  were  "  knocked  down''  at  the 
...  p  .  sale  of  the  collection  of  the  late  Grand  Duke  Alexis  Michaelo- 
,  vitch  of  Russia.     It  was  taken  up  by  Mr.  Castle  in  the  London 

n       .   ,.  Philatelist,  who  returns  to  the  charge  in  the  January  number. 

p  '  Mr.  Castle's  arguments  are  Mr.  Phillips'  arguments,  and 
they  consist  of  a  plea,  or  a  warning — whichever  you  like  to  call  it — to 
the  auctioneers  to  improve  the  descriptions  in  their  catalogues,  and  to  publish 
those  catalogues  earlier.  As  to  the  latter  point,  we  believe  every  one  of  the 
six  London  auctioneers  transgresses  at  some  time  or  another,  some  much 
oftener  than  others ;  but  as  regards  the  former  it  is  much  more  a  case  of  the 
individual  ability,  knowledge,  or  carefulness  of  the  cataloguer.  We  will  give 
you  a  little  true  story  that  has  happened  this  season.  A  few  months  ago  a 
lot  was  purchased  at  a  certain  auction  for  £\  17s.  6d.  The  purchaser  kept 
it  a  month  or  two,  and  not  knowing  what  to  do  with  it,  or  for  reasons  best 
known  to  himself,  he  gave  it  to  the  same  auctioneers  to  be  included  in  a 
future  sale.  This  was  duly  done,  and  this  time  he  bought  it  in  for  34s. !  ! 
Now  comes  the  sequel.  Without  disclosing  anything  of  the  above,  he  gave 
it  to  another  firm  of  auctioneers,  who  included  it  in  one  of  their  sales,  and  it 
was  bought  by  an  eminent  dealer  for  £\6  10s.  !  !  Remember  it  was  only 
a  block  of  four  stamps,  and  it  could  not  have  improved  by  being  bandied 
about  for  several  months  and  during  three  sales.  Now  who  will  account 
for  this  ?  While  our  readers  are  pondering  we  will  provide  another  true 
story  of  prices  and  descriptions,  also  quite  recent.  In  a  certain  auction 
catalogue  appeared  the  following  two  lots  : — 

Austrian  Italy  :   1861,  5  and  15  soldi,  unused,  with  part  gum, 

latter  clipped  -  -  -  -  -  2 

Baden  :   1862.  perf.   13^,  3kr.  rose,  unused  and  fine  with  part 

gum  (see  photo)  -  -  -  -  1 

Both  these  lots  were  purchased  by  an  agent,  on  behalf  of  a  collector,  at 
very  low  prices — 7s.  for  the  first  lot  and  ns.  for  the  second,  making  a  total 
of  1 8s.  ;  not  dear,  you  will  say,  when  the  Baden  alone  would  have  been  very 
cheap  at  jQi  to  £,i. 


26  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Now  for  the  other  side  of  the  picture.  The  stamps  never  left  the  auctioneer's 
possession.  For  private  reasons  the  purchaser  did  not  clear  the  lots  in  sufficient 
time  to  satisfy  the  auctioneers,  so  that  exactly  ten  weeks  later  they  were 
again  offered  for  sale  by  the  same  auctioneers,  in  whose  possession  they  had 
been  ever  since,  and  this  time  they  appeared  in  the  catalogue  as  one  lot,  and 
described  as  follows  : — 

Austrian  Italy  :  1861,  5  soldi  red,  and  15  soldi  brown,  unused 
with  gum,  but  latter  clipped  ;  and  Baden,  1862,  perf., 
13^-,  3kr.  rose,  unused,  damaged     -  -  3 

And  the  lot  was  knocked  down  for  five  shillings.  Somehow  in  the  interval  the 
5  soldi  Austrian  Italy  had  regained  the  other  part  of  its  gum,  while  the 
Baden  had  lost  it,  in  addition  to  becoming  damaged.  Why  they  were  put 
together  in  one  lot,  with  the  best  stamp  last,  is  not  for  us  to  discuss  here. 
The  original  purchaser  is  supposed  to  pay  13s.  6d.  difference,  whereas  some- 
one else  gets  a  lot  at  less  than  one  quarter  its  value  at  his  expense,  and  not 
through  his  fault. 

#  #  * 

Just  as  we  go  to  press  the  startling  announcement  reaches  us  from  a  re- 

~  ,      liable  source  that  the  United  States  Post  Office  Department 

have  decided  to  sell  the  remainders  of  the  newspaper  (periodi- 

Stflmnnefllpr*     cal)  stamPs  from  *  cent  to  $IO°- 

*  Remainders   have   been   sola  by   Governments   on  many 

occasions,  and  we  see  no  harm  in  that,  provided  these  remainders  are  sold 

en  bloc  to  a  dealer  or  to  one  individual,  leaving  it  to  him  to  retail  them  at  his 

leisure,  just  as  the  Leeward  Islands,  the  Fiji,   St.  Helena,  and  others  were 

disposed  of ;  but  our  reason  for  using  the  word  "  startling  "   is  that  they  are 

to  be  placed  on  sale  in  some  of  the  large  cities,  and  at  five  dollars  per  set.     A 

certain  number  of  sets  are  to  be  on  sale,  of  which  the  public  will  be  advised, 

after  which  the  plates  will  be  destroyed,  so  that  it  appears  there  is  even  a 

possibility  of  reprinting. 

The  Attorney-General  of  the  Department  has  decided  that  it  is  lawful 
for  the  Postmaster-General  to  sell  these  stamps  for  less  than  face  value,  in 
fact  he  can  sell  them  for  any  price  he  likes,  as  they  are  obsolete. 

Those  who  have  purchased  these  sets  at  face  value  (about  ^35),  and 
even  those  who  have  purchased  at  the  more  modern  prices  of  from  £10  to 
^20,  must  feel  much  annoyed  at  such  a  procedure,  as  the  price  can  do  no 
good  to  the  U.S.  Post  Office,  or  to  the  stamp  dealers,  or  to  any  collectors 
except  the  limited  number  who  will  purchase  a  set  because  it  is  cheap.  The 
dealers  are  not  likely  to  buy  many,  as  it  is  known  at  what  price  they  can  be 
bought.  We  have  to  thank  the  Weekly  Philatelic  Era  for  much  of  this 
information. 


Our  readers  may  have  noticed  that  we  have  not  chronicled  many  of 
U  S  and  Snanish   *^e  provisionals  for  the  various  ex-Spanish  Colonies.     The 
Colonies  reason  is  that  we  find  and  hear  of  so  many  varieties  from  all 

quarters  that  the  matter  has  got  a  little  bit  confused,  so  we 
are  making  up  a  complete  list,  that  is  to  say  as  far  as  we  can  make  it  so, 
and  we  want  our  readers  to  help  us  by  sending  us  specimens  or  information 
of  everything  philatelic  pertaining  to  the  Hispano-American  War.  We 
want  United  States  with  surcharges  for  Cuba,  &c,  Cuban  stamps  with  U.S. 
surcharges,  Cuban,  Porto  Rico,  and  Philippines,  with  "  Habilitado,"  or  other 
surcharges  ;  in  fact  anything  provisional  of  these  Colonies  of  recent  date, 
and  we  shall  return  any  stamps  and  our  thanks  to  those  who  kindly  help  us. 


ur    portrait    Qaller^. 


MR.     ROBERT    EHRENBACH. 


Editorial  Interviews.  27 


Editorial    Interviews. 


BY    THEODOR    BUHL. 


MR,    ROBERT    EHRENBACH. 

LMOST  everyone  who  reads  the  philatelic  journals  has  heard  of 
Mr.  Robert  Ehrenbach,  who  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  energetic  collectors  for  many  years.  We  have  had  the  honour 
of  his  acquaintance,  both  in  England  and  Germany,  from  the  very 
first  moment  that  we  took  an  interest  in  philately ;  in  fact,  Mr. 
Ehrenbach  was  the  first  collector  that  called  on  us  when  we  started 
business  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  He  has  collected  in  various  ways,  and 
has  written  many  important  papers  and  articles  on  different  philatelic  sub- 
jects, always  showing  the  keenest  insight  into  detail.  As  an  instance  we 
may  mention  the  recently-published  article  on  the  first  issue  2sk.,  Denmark, 
in  the  London  Philatelist,  which  created  much  discussion  amongst  the  mem- 
bers of  the  London  Philatelic  Society  and  caused  His  Royal  Highness  the 
Duke  of  York  to  make  personal  researches  on  the  subject.  Like  most  busy 
men,  Mr.  Ehrenbach,  who  is  in  the  shipping  trade,  is  not  easy  to  be  inter- 
viewed. The  late  Editor  of  the  Record  succeeded  in  writing  an  interview 
and  obtaining  Mr.  Ehrenbach's  photograph  (which  we  give  away  with  this 
number),  but  unfortunately  the  notes  were  lost,  and  it  therefore  fell  to  our 
lot  to  repeat  the  dose. 

Mr.  Ehrenbach  formerly  resided  in  the  North-West  of  London,  but 
now  lives  at  Addlestone,  in  Surrey  ;  but  we  found  him  one  recent  morning 
at  his  City  offices,  very  much  occupied  but  still  willing  to  spare  us  a  few 
minutes. 

In  answer  to  our  first  question,  our  subject  informed  us  that  he  was  born 
in  Bradford  in  1858,  but  he  shares  Mr.  Peckitt's  objection  to  give  the  exact 
date. 

Our  next  question  was,  "  When  did  you  first  collect  stamps  ?  " 

"  I  started  as  a  school-boy,  and  have  kept  it  up  ever  since." 

"  When  did  you  first  take  up  philately  seriously?  " 

"  When  I  was  about  18  or  20.  I  then  had  a  general  collection,  but 
preferred  used  stamps." 

"  And  when  did  you  commence  '  specializing'  ?  " 

"  My  first  '  specialist's  '  collection  was  Australians,  which  I  started  when 
I  was  over  there  in  1886." 

"  And  that  you  sold  by  auction  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  in  1891  or  1892.  I  sold  a  few  of  the  best  things  privately,  and 
the  remainder  realised  about  ^1,400  under  the  hammer." 

"  And  after  that  ?  " 

"  I  collected  old  German  States,  used  and  unused,  which  I  subsequently 
sold  for  ^6,000." 

"  At  that  time,  I  believe,  you  had  another  collection  running  ?  " 

"  Yes,  unused  Europeans,  one  of  each  ;  and  I  then  started  specializing 
in  several  European  countries,  such  as  Austria,  Scandinavia,  Holland, 
Belgium,  and  Russia." 

"There  was  to  have  been  another  country?"  we  enquired,  with  some 
hesitation. 


28 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


"  You  refer  to  Portugal,  I  suppose,"  said  Mr.  Ehrenbach.  "  I  bought 
a  fine  lot  of  Portuguese  stamps  in  Lisbon,  and,  as  you  know,  they  were 
stolen  while  I  was  travelling  in  Morocco." 

"  And  what  do  you  collect  at  present  ?  " 

"  South  American  States  :  Buenos  Ayres,  Brazil,  Uruguay,  and 
Dominican  Republic." 

"  I  believe  you  have  a  number  of  the  4  and  5  pesos  of  Buenos  Ayres  ? " 

"About  20,"  said  Mr.  Ehrenbach,  carelessly,  without  any  remorse  or 
sympathy  for  the  poor  collectors  who  cannot  even  get  one  of  these  rarities. 

"  And  how  about  your  collection  of  Columbia  and  States  ? " 

"  I  sold  that  recently." 

"  And  now,  what  is  your  opinion  of  the  future  ?  " 

"  I  believe  they  will  start  to  boom  Brazil,  and  one  or  two  of  the  hitherto 
neglected  countries." 

That  was  all ;  but  Mr.  Ehrenbach,  who  is  an  active  member  of  the 
London  and  many  other  Philatelic  Societies,  is  seldom  wrong. 


Imperial  Penny   Post. 

IN  addition  to  the  colonies  mentioned  in  our  last  number,  the  Imperial 
Penny  Post  has  now  been  extended  to  the  following : — 
Ascension, 
Barbados, 
Bermuda, 
British  Guiana, 
British  Honduras, 
India, 
Malay   States   (Perak,  Selangor,    Negri  Sembilan,   Johore,    and 

Pahang), 
Niger  Territory, 
Sarawak. 
The   Australian    Colonies,    Cape   Colony,   British    North    Borneo,   and 
British  Bechuanaland  have  not  yet  joined. 


A  Strange  Find. 


It  was  stated  recently  that  an  important 
discovery  of  stamps  had  been  made  at  the 
General  Post  Office  in  the  department 
occupied  by  the  secretary  and  his  chief 
officials.  The  story  was  to  the  effect  that 
while  the  premises  were  being  overhauled 
and  placed  in  a  state  of  repair  for  the  new 
secretary,  the  men  came  upon  a  great  num- 
ber of  stamps,  many  of  them  of  com- 
paratively ancient  date — 1841  for  example. 
Amongst  them  were  a  number  of  the  black 
penny  variety  so  dear  to  the  heart  of  the 
juvenile  philatelist,  and  now  becoming 
somewhat    difficult    of   acquisition.     There 


were,  it  is  said,  other  varieties  of  equal 
interest ;  also  some  Mulready  envelopes. 
One  authority  placed  the  value  of  the 
stamps  at  several  thousands  of  pounds. 
Yesterday  afternoon  our  representative 
made  a  special  inquiry  on  the  subject  at  the 
office  of  the  chief  of  the  stamps  department. 
The  only  information,  however,  which  the 
officials  would  furnish  was,  "  We  have  no 
communication  to  make  on  the  matter." 
At  the  same  time  no  denial  was  given  to  the 
specific  statement  that  an  important  dis- 
covery of  stamps  of  considerable  value  had 
recently  been  made. 


Notes  on  Denmark.  29 


Notes  on  the  2  Rigsbank  Skilling 
(Blue)  Stamp  of  Denmark, 

EMBODYING   A   COMMUNICATION   FROM  THE   PRESIDENT, 

Read    by    the    Hon.    Secretary    at   a    Meeting    of    the   Philatelic 
Society,  London,  on  the  25TH  November,  1898. 

From  the  London  Philatelist. 

I  HAVE  the  honour  of  being  entrusted  with  a  communication  from  our 
President  on  the  subject  of  the  2  Rigsbank  Skilling  (blue)  stamp  of 
Denmark. 
It  will  be  in  the  recollection  of  members  that  in  the  course  of  last 
season  a  paper  on  these  stamps  was  read  by  Mr.  R.  Ehrenbach  at  a  meeting 
of  the  Society,  having  for  its  object  the  consideration  of  the  question  of  the 
types  and  varieties  which  were  said  to  exist,  and  the  possibility  of  "  plating  " 
the  stamps. 

Various  points  of  distinction  were  described,  and  in  regard  to  the  marks 
to  which  attention  was  called  in  certain  of  the  stamps,  it  was  stated  that 
they  were  "  caused  probably  by  the  engraver's  tools,"  while  suggestions  were 
made  as  to  the  probable  mode  of  the  production  and  setting-up  of  the  plate. 

Although  a  large  number  of  the  members  who  heard  the  paper  read  did 
not  agree  with  the  deductions  formed  by  the  author,  it  was  felt  that  an 
interesting  question  had  been  raised  which  called  for  further  investigation, 
and  the  paper  was  subsequently  criticised  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Bacon  in  the  London 
Philatelist  for  April  of  the  present  year. 

The  whole  question  is  obviously  one  which  depends  upon  the  precise 
methods  employed  in  the  manufacture  and  production  of  the  stamps,  and  our 
President  thought  that  it  might  prove  of  interest  to  members  of  the  Society  if 
some  authoritative  information  could  be  obtained  on  the  subject. 

Accordingly,  taking  advantage  of  the  opportunity  afforded  by  his  visit  to 
Denmark  in  the  early  part  of  September  last,  his  Royal  Highness  caused 
inquiries  to  be  made  from  the  postal  authorities  in  Copenhagen. 

Owing  to  the  temporary  absence  of  the  official  competent  to  give  the 
desired  information,  our  President,  before  returning  to  England,  prepared 
and  left  for  the  consideration  of  the  official  referred  to  a  series  of  questions, 
having  for  their  object  the  elucidation  of  the  matters  upon  which  the  ques- 
tion as  to  "  types  "  most  largely  depends. 

The  questions  so  propounded,  with  the  answers  which  have  recently 
been  received,  are  : — 

Questions    as    to    the   first    stamp    of  Answers. 

Denmark — the  2  Rigsbank  Skilling 
(blue).     Issue  1851. 

1.  Was  more  than  one  original  die  1.   In  the  manufacture  of  this  stamp 

used  ?      In  what  manner  was  the  die  one   original  die  only  was  used.     It 

made     or     engraved  ?        And    what  was  engraved  on  steel, 
material  was  used  for  the  purpose  ? 


30  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Questions,  etc.  Answers. 

2.  What  method  was  employed  in  2  and  3.  From  this  die  a  matrix 
reproducing  impressions  for  making  was  produced  in  plaster  for  making 
the  plates  ?  the  plates.     From  an  examination  of 

3.  What  process  was  used  in  manu-  the  Plates>  which  are  preserved  in  the 
facturing  the  plates  from  which  the  General  Post  Office  m  Copenhagen, 

stamps  were  printed  ?  there  1S   no  doubt  *hat  te,n  of  these 

matrices  were  joined  together  in  one 

block  (in   five   rows   of  two   stamps 

each),  and  that  the  plates  were  cast 

on  the  block  by  stereotype  process. 

Ten  of  the  plates  so  produced — in 

type-metal   (a   composition    of    lead, 

tin,    and    antimony) — were    used   to 

make  the  printing  plate.     These  were 

soldered  together  and  mounted  on  a 

mahogany  bed,   and  framed  also  in 

mahogany. 

4.  Were  the  figures  and  words  in  4.  The  figures  and  words  in  the 
the  centre  of  the  stamp,  for  denoting  centre  of  the  stamp  are  engraved  on 
the  value,  inserted  in  the  original  die      the  original  die. 

or  dies,  or  added  to  the  impressions 
taken  for  making  the  plates,  or  to 
the  plates  themselves,  and  if  so,  by 
what  process  ? 

From  these  details  it  would  seem  clear  that  there  cannot  be  "types," 
properly  so-called,  of  the  stamps  in  question  ;  and  the  facts  which  our 
President  has  been  the  means  of  ascertaining  demonstrate  clearly  the  accuracy 
of  observation  displayed  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Bacon  in  his  remarks  on  Mr. 
Ehrenbach's  paper  to  which  I  have  referred. 

I  am  desired,  in  conclusion,  to  assure  the  members  of  the  pleasure  which 
it  affords  his  Royal  Highness  to  be  able  to  assist  in  the  deliberations  of  the 
Society,  and  to  express  the  hope  that  the  information  which  has  been 
obtained  may  be  considered  of  some  use  in  the  determination  of  the  questions 
to  which  it  relates. 

[We  are  confident  that  the  foregoing  interesting  Philatelic  Note,  which 
was  communicated  to  the  members  of  the  London  Philatelic  Society  as  the 
direct  outcome  of  the  personal  researches  made  by  its  President,  will  be 
eagerly  welcomed  by  all  who  take  any  interest  in  stamp  collecting.  It 
evinces  beyond  doubt  that  the  presidency  of  H.R.H,  the  Duke  of  York  is 
not  merely  perfunctory,  but  that  he  takes  an  abiding  and  keen  interest  in 
the  more  scientific  aspect  of  the  pursuit,  a  point  that  it  is  necessary  to  some- 
times belabour,  in  view  of  the  many  unfounded  statements  that  creep  into 
a  credulous  Press.  As  an  instance  hereof  we  may  cite  the  case  of  an  in- 
fluential provincial  journal  which,  as  recently  as  November  13th,  gravely 
announced  the  retirement  of  his  Royal  Highness  from  Philately,  and  the 
sale  of  his  collection,  the  proceeds  to  be  devoted  to  philanthropic  purposes  ! 
The  result  of  the  Duke  of  York's  inquiries  fitly  terminates  the  very  interest- 
ing discussion  that  has  ranged  round  the  question  of  "types"  or  the  varia- 
tions of  the  2  R.  B.  S.  of  Denmark,  and  places  on  record  the  exact  cause  of 
the  varieties  that  occur.  The  fact  that  the  plaster  casts  were  used  for  re- 
production from  the  matrix  is  very  interesting,  as  it  at  once  indicates  how 
the  differences  in  the  shape  of  the  figure  "  2  "  arose,  viz.,  that  in  the  case  of 
divergence  the  plaster  failed  to  fill  in  entirely  some  portions  of  the  die  of  the 
numeral,  and  that  these  being  reproduced  in  blocks  of  ten,  constituted  the 
varieties  that  recurred  regularly  on  the  plate.  The  entire  question  has  been 
one  both  of  interest  and  utility,  and  the  successful  entrance  of  the  President 
into  the  arena  of  discussion  will  be  hailed  by  all  Philatelists  as  the  happiest 
of  denouemnets . — Ed.] 


The  Calcutta  Philatelic  Exhibition.  31 


The 
Calcutta   Philatelic    Exhibition. 

(From  the  Statesman.) 

'HE  Fourth  Public  Exhibition  of  Stamps  held  in  Calcutta  is  now 
arranged  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  Art  Gallery  annexe  of  the 
Imperial  Museum,  Chowringhee,  and  fully  equals,  if  it  does  not 
indeed  surpass,  any  of  its  predecessors  in  interest  and  variety.  It 
will  be  open  to  the  public  to-morrow,  December  26th,  at  n  a.m.,  and 
will  remain  on  view  until  Thursday  evening  next,  a  charge  of  one  rupee 
being  made  for  admission.  A  preliminary  inspection  of  the  exhibits  shows 
that  those  who  are  interested  in  the  beautiful  pursuit  of  philately  may  derive 
much  enjoyment  from  a  visit  to  one  of  the  most  attractive  philatelic  displays 
ever  brought  together.  Stamp  exhibitions  are  becoming  more  and  more 
popular  each  year.  That  in  London  in  the  summer  of  1897  has  been 
followed  by  another  at  Birmingham  only  this  month,  and  as  Manchester  is 
arranging  for  a  third  on  a  large  scale  in  June  or  July  next,  Calcutta  may  be 
congratulated  upon  falling  well  into  line  with  three  leading  philatelic  centres 
of  the  British  Empire.  The  Philatelic  Society  of  India  (the  successor  to  the 
Philatelic  Society  of  Bengal)  numbers  118  members.  Its  journal,  edited  by 
Mr.  C.  Stewart-Wilson,  has  already  a  world-wide  reputation  of  a  high  order, 
and  as  in  future  it  will  be  on  sale  to  the  public,  its  circulation  and  influence 
should  greatly  increase.  The  literary  output  of  the  Society  has  so  far  been 
admirable.  Two  hand-books  by  the  President  on  the  surcharged  stamps  of 
Chamba,  Faridkhot,  and  Gwalior  and  Jhind,  Nabha  and  Patiala  have 
already  appeared  under  its  auspices,  a  third  on  Bhopal  is  in  the  press, 
and  there  is  further  in  contemplation  an  important  work  on  the  Imperial 
stamps  of  India.  For  the  first  time  in  an  Indian  exhibition,  fiscal  stamps 
are  now  on  view,  and  the  telegraphs  of  India  and  Ceylon  are  also  fairly  repre- 
sented. The  exhibitors  are  all  members  of  the  Society — two  of  them, 
Major  Evans,  the  distinguished  editor  of  Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons'  Monthly 
Journal,  and  Mr.  Doming  Becton,  President  of  the  Manchester  Society, 
sending  magnificent  contributions  of  Bhopals,  Jhinds,  and  Japans  from  Eng- 
land. In  spite  of  these  brilliant  exceptions,  however,  it  is  much  to  be  feared 
that  the  unreasonably  persisted-in  regulations  of  the  Indian  Customs 
authorities  have  again  somewhat  restricted  the  scope  of  the  exhibitions  as 
regards  foreign  exhibits.  Silver  and  bronze  medals  (bearing  the  well-known 
design  of  the  lion  and  palm  tree)  are  at  the  disposal  of  expert  judges  for 
competition  in  15  classes.  The  awards  will  probably  be  published  on 
Tuesday. 

The   following    (according   to   the    Official    Catalogue)   are  the   countries 
arranged  in  the  classes  selected  for  exhibition  : — 

Class      I. — Afghanistan  and  Cashmere — 1  Silver,  1  Bronze  Medal. 
Class    II.— Any  two  from  the  following  group  of  Native  States:  Hydera- 
bad, Travancore,   Jhind  (native  issues  only),   Soruth,   Bhopal — 1    Silver,   1 
Bronze  Medal. 

Class  III. — Not  more  than  two  from  the  following  group  of  British  Indian 
stamps  surcharged  :  Jhind,  Nabha,  Patiala — 1  Silver,  1  Bronze  Medal. 
Class  IV. — Great  Britain — 1  Silver,  1  Bronze  Medal. 


32  The  Philatelic  Record. 

Class  V. — Not  more  than  two  from  the  following  Colonies  : — Heligoland, 
Malta,  Hongkong,  Straits  Settlements  (excluding  Native  States) — i  Silver,  i 
Bronze  Medal. 

Class  VI. — Not  more  than  two  from  the  following  :  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
Natal,  British  Bechuanaland — i  Silver,  i  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  VII. — Not  more  than  two  from  the  following  :  Canada,  Nova  Scotia, 
New  Brunswick,  Newfoundland — i  Silver,  i  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  VIII. — One  from  each  of  the  following  sub-classes  A  and  B  :  (A) 
Bahamas,  Grenada,  Trinidad,  Turks  Islands  ;  (  B )  Montserrat,  St. 
Christopher,    Tobago,   Virgin    Islands — i    Silver,    i    Bronze    Medal. 

Class  IX. — Not  more  than  two  from  the  following :  New  South  Wales, 
Tasmania,  Fiji,  South  Australia — i  Silver,  i  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  X. — Not  more  than  two  from  the  following  :  Switzerland,  Austria, 
Hungary — i  Silver,  i  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  XI. — One  from  the  following  :  Japan,  Philippine  Islands — i  Silver,  i 
Bronze  Medal. 

Class  XII. — The  United  States  of  America — i  Silver,  i  Bronze  Medal. 

Special. 

i.  The  most  meritorious  exhibit  of  rare  stampf,,  not  to  exceed  30  or  be 
less  than  15  in  number — 1  Silver  Medal. 

2.  The  best  exhibit  of  adhesive  fiscal  stamps  (excluding  telegraph 
stamps)    of   Great   Britain   or   of   India  and    Ceylon — 1    Silver    Medal. 

3.  The  best  exhibit  of  telegraph  stamps  of  India  and  Ceylon — 1  Silver 
Medal. 

The  exhibits  are  as  follows  :  Class  1. — Captain  F.  H.  Hancock,  Afghan- 
istan ;  D.  P.  Masson,  Cashmere.  Class  II. — Major  E.  B.  Evans,  Bhopal 
and  Jhind.  Class  III. — T.  E.  Madden,  Jhind  and  Patiala  ;  C.  Stewart- 
Wilson,  Jhind  and  Patiala.  Class  IV.—  T.  E.  Madden,  Great  Britain.  Class 
V. — C.  Stewart- Wilson,  Hongkong  and  Straits  Settlements.  Class  VI. — C. 
F.  Larmour,  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  Goodwin  Norman,  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
Class  VII. — C.  F.  Larmour,  Canada  and  Newfoundland  ;  Goodwin  Norman, 
Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia.  Class  VIII. — C.  F.  Larmour,  Trinidad 
and  Virgin  Islands  ;  Goodwin  Norman,  Turks  Islands  and  Virgin  Islands  ; 
C.  Stewart-Wilson,  Grenada  and  Montserrat.  Class  IX. — C.  F.  Larmour, 
New  South  Wales  and  South  Australia.  Class  X. — -Goodwin  Norman, 
Switzerland  ;  F.  N.  Schiller,  Switzerland.  Class  XI. — W.  Doming  Beckton, 
Japan  ;  Goodwin  Norman,  Philippines.  Class  XII. — W.  Corfield,  United 
States  of  America  ;    T.  E.  Madden,  United  States  of  America. 

Special  Classes. — (1)  C.  F.  Larmour  and  C.  Stewart-Wilson.  (2)  W. 
Corfield.     (3)  W.  Corheld  and  C.  Stewart-Wilson. 

Some  recent  issues. — W.  Corfield. 

The  Committee  of  Management  are  as  follows  : — Mr.  C.  Stewart-Wilson, 
President  of  the  Society  ;  Lady  Collen,  Vice-President  ;  G.  A.  Anderson, 
Calcutta  ;  Major  L.  E.  Du  Moulin,  Amritsar;  Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  F.  A. 
Harris,  I.  M.  S.,  Calcutta  ;  Mr.  W.  James,  Calcutta  ;  Mr.  C.  F.  Larmour, 
Calcutta  ;  Mr.  A.  A.  Lyall,  Calcutta  ;  Professor  O.  V.  Muller,  Bombay  ; 
Mr.  E.  Sassoon-Gubbay,  Calcutta ;  Mr.  F.  N.  Schiller,  Calcutta;  Mr.  W. 
Corfield,  honorary  treasurer  of  the  Society  ;  Mr.  P.  Aylwin  Selfe,  honorary 
secretary  of  the  Society. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  33 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 

BY 

C.  FORBES  (Secretary  and  Librarian,  the  Central  Philatelic  Club). 
(Continued  from  page  11.) 

IN  the  second  place,  the  crude  postal  organization  at  that  time  in  force  did 
not  even  allow  the  stamps  to  have  control  over  the  revenue  derived 
from  the  transit  and  delivery  of  letters,  &c,  although  postal  communi- 
cations were  transmitted  by  the  Government  carriers ;  the  revenue 
derived  from  the  sale  of  the  stamps  was  divided  amongst  the  Governors 
of  the  various  towns  through  which  the  mails  passed,  and  the  higher  officials 
connected  with  the  postal  administration.  For  instance,  on  the  chief  road 
between  Teheran  and  Tabriz  the  controller  of  the  postal  service,  or  as  we 
should  call  him  the  Postmaster  General,  sold  the  right  of  collecting  the 
letters,  &c,  to  the  Governors  of  the  various  towns  on  the  road  ;  these  in  turn 
sub-let  them  to  Persian  merchants,  and  they  in  their  turn  authorised  the 
carriers  to  sell  the  stamps  to  those  who  wished  to  buy,  and  to  collect  and 
deliver  all  letters  entrusted  to  their  keeping. 

The  stamps,  however,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  were  not  affixed  to  the 
letters,  but  were  re-sold  over  and  over  again,  payment  being  demanded  from 
the  receivers  when  delivering  the  letters.  They  had  also  no  means  of 
cancelling  any  of  the  stamps,  for  when  the  system  of  collecting  the  tolls  on 
letters  by  means  of  stamps  was  first  started  by  the  Shah,  such  a  thing  as  a 
post-marking  or  cancelling  machine  was  quite  forgotten,  and  after  about 
twelve  months  it  was  seen  how  useless  the  stamps  were,  and  they  were 
finally  withdrawn  from  use  in  the  early  part  of  1871.  Thus  the  first  attempt 
on  the  part  of  Persia  to  organise  a  postal  system  proved  to  be  a  disastrous 
and  dismal  failure. 

Collectors  of  this  issue  should  beware  of  stamps  that  bear  cancellations 
of  any  kind,  as  the  post  marks  are  always  forgeries. 

For  several  years  the  service  was  allowed  to  remain  in  abeyance,  com- 
munications between  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  towns  being  carried  on 
with  extreme  difficulty  and  great  delay. 

In  the  early  part  of  1875,  about  four  years  after  the  abandonment  of  the 
first  issue,  the  Austrian  postal  authorities  were  broached  on  the  subject  by 
the  Persian  officials  by  order  of  the  Shah,  the  result  being  that  Mr.  Riederer, 
a  high  official  in  the  Austrian  postal  service  at  Vienna,  was  sent  by  the 
Government  to  Teheran,  together  with  a  number  of  subordinates,  the  result 
being  that  Mr.  Riederer,  in  August  of  that  year,  was  finally  entrusted  by  the 
Persian  Government  to  organise  a  postal  system  on  the  basis  of  the  one 
in  use  in  his  own  country. 

The  copper-plate  dies  brought  from  Paris  in  1868,  which  had  been  used 
for  printing  the  issue  of  1870,  and  which  had  up  till  now  been  stored  away  in 
the  Shah's  palace,  were  entrusted  to  Mr.  Riederer,  and  he  was  asked  to 
manufacture,  as  soon  as  possible,  new  stamps  from  these  dies.  At  the  same 
time  he  was  shown  a  quantity  of  the  early  printings  which  had  been  produced 
by  means  of  these  plates. 

The  remainders  of  the  1870  issue  were  destroyed  by  Mr.  Riederer. 
The  Austrian  Adviser  immediately  set  to  work,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
had  printed  and   ready  for  use  about   120,000   stamps  in   various   colours. 
Before,  however,  the  dies  were  used  he  had  inserted    under  the  belly  of  the 
lion  figures  to  denote  the  different  values  of  the  stamps. 


34  The  Philatelic  Record. 

As  the  figures  were  inserted  by  hand  on  each  of  the  dies,  they  conse- 
quently differ  slightly  from  one  another ;  we  get  through  this  four  different 
type  or  die  varieties  of  each  of  the  four  values. 

The  insertion  of  the  figures  of  value  was  done — 

Firstly,  to  prevent  the  fraudulent  use  of  the    1870  issue; 

Secondly,  to  more  easily  distinguish  the  various  values  from  one  another. 

The  stamps  were  printed  at  Teheran  by,  it  is  believed,  a  Scotchman 
named  McLachlan. 

Of  the   120,000  stamps,   about  one-third  were  the  1  shahi  black  ; 

One-quarter  of  the  number  2   shahi  blue  ; 

And  the  rest  about  20,000  of  each,  4  shahi  vermilion,  and  8  shahi  green. 

There  are  a  number  of  shades  in  the  colours,  such  as 

1  Shahi  black,  grey  black. 

2  Shahi  blue,  pale  blue,  ultramarine. 
4  Shahi  vermilion,  and  dull  red. 

8  Shahi  green,  pale  green,  and  yellow  green. 

Various  kinds  of  paper  were  used,  varying  from  very  thick  to  thin,  laid 
and  wove,  etc. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  from  the  Austrian  Adviser,  dated 
from  Teheran  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  to  the  Gazette  at  Linz,  gives  a 
short  and  interesting  account  of  his  work  : — 

"After  a  lot  of  hard  work  and  trouble  on  the  part  of  myself  and  the  co- 
operation of  my  European  colleagues,  to  which  I  must  admit  that  owing  to 
their  perseverance  and  energy  the  largest  amount  of  credit  and  thanks  are 
due,  I  have  succeeded  in  preparing  by  means  of  a  hand  press  and  its  simplest 
process  a  quantity  of  postage  stamps  which  I  think  will  be  sufficient  for  the 
present,  and  although  I  have  had  very  poor  dies  to  print  from,  and  very  few 
tools  to  work  with,  I  am  pleased  to  say  that  I  think  I  have  succeeded  in 
getting  the  stamps  in  a  condition  ready  to  be  sold  to  the  public,  the  greater 
part  of  the  work  having  had  to  be  done  by  hand,  as  we  had  no  means  of 
gumming  the  stamps  or  perforating  them  in  any  way. 

"  I  have  had  trained  a  small  staff  of  Persian  students  able  to  decipher 
addresses  written  in  French  or  English,  and  have  had  them  drafted  to  the 
various  towns  where  the  postal  service  has  been  established,  and  I  can  say 
with  a  certain  amount  of  confidence  and  pride  that  a  postal  service  is  now 
carried  on  with  a  certain  amount  of  regularity  between  the  town  of  Teheran 
and  suburbs,  together  with  the  villages  of  the  Shemiran,  where  the  better 
class  of  the  inhabitants  spend  the  summer." 

From  the  above  extract  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Riederer  lost  no  time  in 
getting  the  stamps  ready  for  use,  and  having  them  distributed  as  soon  as 
possible. 

For  this  purpose  a  carrier  on  horseback,  with  a  special  uniform  and 
horn,  was  appointed,  who  started  from  Teheran  in  early  morning,  making  his 
way  first  to  the  Palace  of  the  Shah,  after  which  he  took  a  tour  round  the  town 
and  suburbs  of  Teheran,  supplying  postage  stamps  to  those  who  required 
them,  collected  letters  for  Teheran  and  other  towns  within  his  district,  and  at 
the  same  time  delivered  those  he  had  in  his  possession  to  the  people  in  the 
various  towns  and  villages  through  which  he  passed. 

By  October,  1875,  the  post  was  extended  to  the  town  of  Rescht,  on  the 
Caspian  Sea,  and  I  believe  as  far  as  Bayazid,  on  the  Turkish  Frontier. 

The  first  post  office  was,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  informa- 
tion, established  near  the  residence  of  the  Shah ;  this  was  followed  by  the 
opening  of  offices  at  Rescht,  Tabriz,  Kasveen,  and  Zinjan. 

From  these  offices  letters  destined  for  Europe  were  sent ;  they  were 
transmitted  by  carriers  to  the  post  offices  on  the  Russian  Frontier,  the 
Russians  then  taking  charge  of  the  letters,  and  forwarding  them  to  Europe. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  35 

In  June,  1876,  the  toll  of  5  shahi,  which  was  first  charged  on  all  letters 
delivered  in  Teheran  and  the  surrounding  villages,  was  reduced  to  2  shahi, 
when  the  postal  service  was  then  completed. 

I  now  propose  to  give  my  readers  two  further  extracts  from  letters 
written  by  Mr.  Riederer  to  different  papers,  which  I  think  will  prove  of  great 
interest. 

The  first  extract,  which  I  shall  call  letter  No.  2,  was  written  by  him  to 
the  editor  of  the  New  Freie  Presse  at  Vienna,  from  which  I  take  the 
following  paragraphs  : — 

"  I  am  now  pleased  to  say  that  I  am  in  a  position  to  fulfil  a  promise 
made  a  good  time  back. 

"At  the  present  time  Persia  possesses  a  Postal  Administration,  and  this 
institution  is,  I  trust,  established  on  a  good  solid  basis,  so  that  I  can  feel 
confident  of  its  ultimate  prosperity  when  I  return  to  my  official  duties 
in  Vienna. 

"  It  is  a  source  of  great  and  indescribable  satisfaction  to  see  one's  exertions 
and  efforts  crowned  with  success,  and  this  feeling  is  greatly  increased  when  I 
consider  the  mass  of  difficulties  which  had  to  be  overcome,  and  which 
seemed  at  the  off-set  almost  insuperable. 

"  In  my  case  the  difficulties  surmounted  have  been  very  great,  as  at  the 
time  of  my  starting  for  Teheran  I  felt  very  dubious  as  to  whether  it  would  be 
possible  in  such  a  country  as  Persia  ever  to  be  able  to  make  such  a  thing  as  a 
genuine  postal  service  possible. 

"  In  my  last  letter  to  you  I  think  I  mentioned  that  I  had  stamps  printed 
frcm  the  dies  then  on  hand  by  means  of  a  hand  press,  but  the  stamps  so 
printed  were  of  such  a  primitive  nature  that  I  felt  very  doubtful  as  to  their 
value,  and  that  at  first  they  were  used  imperforate,  and  that  afterwards  with 
the  aid  of  my  colleagues  cut  by  means  of  scissors  ;  later  we  attempted  to 
perforate  them  by  means  of  a  penknife,  and  that  lastly,  by  means  of  an 
instrument  of  my  own  invention,  I  succeeded  in  roughly  rouletting  them. 

This  vexatious  and  tedious  work  occupied  many  months,  during  which 
the  more  important  work  of  organisation  made  very  little  progress  owing  to 
various  reasons,  the  chief  and  most  powerful  being  the  lack  of  money,  as  I 
was  not  able  to  obtain  but  very  little  from  the  Government  to  work  with." 

The  third  and  last  extract,  which  I  now  propose  to  give,  was  written  in 
July,    1876,  to  the  editor   of  the  L  Union  Posfale,  at  Berne,  and  runs  as 
follows : — 

"  I  was  at  last,  after  a  long  and  wearied  delay,  informed  that  the  amount 
asked  for  could  not  be  given  me,  and  that  I  must  use  my  best  endeavours  to 
organise  a  modern  European  service  by  making  use  of  the  present  existing 
arrangements,  and  to  go  to  as  little  expense  as  possible. 

"  Some  old  plates,  which  were  brought  from  Paris,  and  used  for  the 
preparation  of  the  issue  of  1870,  were  given  to  me  by  one  of  the  Ministers, 
and  I  was  requested  to  prepare  from  these  plates  four  different  kinds  of 
postage  stamps. 

"  The  Minister  also  gave  me  a  large  number  of  the  stamps  that  had 
been  manufactured  in  Teheran  by  means  of  these  plates,  and  which  had  been 
withdrawn  from  use  because  experience  had  proved  that  owing  to  the  fact 
that  they  had  never  been  post-marked  or  cancelled  the  same  stamps  were 
used  over  and  over  again  for  the  payment  of  letters. 

"  I  was  requested  to  prepare  stamps  by  means  of  these  plates,  without 
loss  of  time  to  issue  the  same,  and  to  prepare  their  use  for  the  public. 

"  Having  made  up  my  mind  to  try  everything,  and  anything,  I 
consented  to  this  measure,  and  manufactured  120,000  stamps,  with  colours 


D 


6  The  Philatelic  Record. 


different  to  those  of  the  former  issue,  and  I  further  altered  their  design  by 
causing  their  value  to  be  engraved  in  Arabic  figures  underneath  the  belly  of 
the  lion. 

"  Russia  and  Austria  have  already  officially  notified  to  the  Persian 
Government  their  readiness  to  complete  postal  treaties,  and  I  now  confidently 
hope  that  the  junction  between  the  European  and  Persian  postal  lines  will 
in  a  few  years  take  place. 

"  In  the  meantime,  through  the  mediation  of  the  Austrian  Foreign 
Office,  permission  has  been  granted  that  I  should  be  furnished  with  new 
postage  stamps  and  stamped  envelopes  by  the  Austrian  State  Printing  Office, 
and  I  am  very  anxiously  awaiting  their  arrival. 

"These  new  postal  labels  are  extremely  necessary,  as  the  ones  at  present 
in  use  are  of  so  primitive  a  nature  that  if  I  call  a  new  issue  to  be  printed 
from  these  plates  I  must  run  the  risk  of  soon  having  more  counterfeit  than 
genuine  stamps  in  circulation." 

In  the  preceding  chapters  I  have  endeavoured  to  give  a  short  notice  of  a 
few  interesting  facts  respecting  this  mysterious  country,  also  a  brief  outline 
of  the  postal  service  as  at  first  constituted,  together  with  extracts  from  letters 
written  by  Mr.  Riederer,  the  founder  of  the  Persian  postal  system,  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  the  early  issues  were  manufactured,  etc. 

I  propose  now  taking  the  various  issues  in  their  order,  and  giving  as  far 
as  I  can  all  information  that  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  on  the  subject,  and 
trust  that  my  readers  will  find  the  information  as  set  forth  of  use  to  them. 

Currency. 
20  Shahi  =  i  kran. 

10  Kran  =  i  toman. 

i  Toman  =  9s.  56.  English  Money. 

1 8  58. 

Paper:  Thick  and  thin  wove  ;  white  and  tinted. 
Printed 'in  Paris, fine  impressions. 
Per/.  11)/?,  and  13. 
Values. 

1  Shahi,  lilac. 

2  ,,       green. 
4       ,,       blue. 
8       „       red. 

Design. — The  design  of  all  the  early  issues  is  practically  the  same  ;  it 
consists  of  the  Arms  of  Persia,  composed  of  the  lion  of  the  Ivan  on  a 
verdant  field,  holding  in  its  right  paw  a  sabre  of  the  Khorassan,  and  half 
surrounded  with  its  tail,  the  sun  of  Darnis  shining  in  the  rear. 

These  stamps  were  never  used,  and  can  only  be  considered  as  essays  at 
the  best. 

To  catalogue  the  2sh.  is  entirely  wrong.     Though  always  catalogued,  it 
is  only  an  essay,  and  on  a  par  with  the  ish.  lilac,  4sh.  ultramarine,  8sh.  red. 
1870. 

Design :  Printed  in  Teheran, from  the  copper-plate  dies  brought  from 

Paris  in  1868,  rough  impressions. 
Paper :  White,  wove  thick  and  thin,  also  greyish  white  and  bluish 

white. 
Values  not  indicated. 
Imperforate. 

1  Shahi,  violet. 

1  ,,       lilac  and  reddish  lilac. 

2  ,,       dark  green. 
2       ,,       pale  green. 

2       „       yellow  green. 

4       ,,       blue. 

4      ,,      pale  blue. 

4       ,,       greenish  blue. 

8       ,,       carmine. 

8       ,,       vermilion. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 


37 


Variety — 

i  Shahi,  violet,  printed  on  both  sides. 

Note. — These  stamps  were  never  post-marked,  consequently  all  those 
met'with  post-marked  are  undoubtedly  forged. 

This  is  absolutely  proved  by  the  fact  that  they  had  at  that  time  no  means 
of  cancelling,  such  a  thing  as  a  date  or  post-marking  stamp  not  having  been 
thought  of. 

This  issue  was  withdrawn  in  1871,  and  the  remainder,  as  far  as  possible, 
were  destroyed  by  Mr.  Riederer  in  1874. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Part    I. — British    Empire. 


Bahamas. — The  one  shilling  is  now 
printed  in  blue  green. 

Adhesive. 

Is.  blue  green. 

Bermuda. — We  have  recently  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  a  collector  who  has 
long  been  resident  in  this  Colony,  and  who 
was  in  London  for  a  few  weeks  lately,  and 
obtaining  his  opinion  as  to  the  Hamilton 
provisional.  Like  ourselves,  he  has  become 
convinced,  by  the  evidence  which  he  has  had 
the  advantage  of  obtaining  direct,  that  Mr. 
Perot  did  prepare  the  labels  in  question,  and 
that  they  were  used  for  repayment  of  post- 
age ;  but  he  adds  that,  although  he  had  seen 
two  or  more  specimens,  he  had  never  taken 
much  interest  in  them,  as  he  had  never  seen 
one  that  was  attached  to  an  original  letter  or 
envelope,  or  that  bore  any  evidence  of 
having  been  postally  used.  Thus  we  are 
still  looking  for  really  used  copies  to  com- 
plete the  case  in  their  favour. 

He  has  shown  us,  however,  a  very  curious 
article,  used  at  St.  George's  in  1861,  which 
seems  to  prove  that  the  employment  of 
hand-stamped  labels  was  not  unfamiliar.  It 
consists  of  a  small  pieceof  ordinary  coloured 
paper,  deep  yellow,  cut  roughly  to  octagonal 
shape,  having  stamped  on  it,  in  red,  "  paid — 
at  "  in  two  lines  in  the  centre,  surrounded 
by  the  words  "St.  George's  Bermuda," 
within  a  double-line  circle  broken  at  the  top 
by  a  Crown.  This  was  pasted  on  the  cover 
of  an  official  letter,  addressed  from  St. 
George's  to  the  Pilot  Commissioners  at 
Hamilton,  and  is  duly  obliterated  with  the 
St.  George's  postmark  of  July  12,  1861.  But 
why  this  kind  of  adhesive  stamp  was  used, 
instead  of  stamping  the  letter  "  paid,"  &c, 
it  is  difficult  to  understand. — Monthly 
fournal. 

British  Bechuanaland. — Herr  Lossau 
has  shown  Der  Philatelist  two  varieties  of 
surcharge  on  the  2d.  stamp  of  1895,  one 
being  20  by  2jmm.,  and  the  other  21  by  2mm. 

British  Central  Africa.— The  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  Government  Gazette  of 
this  territory,  dated  Nov.  12th,  1898,  is  inter- 
esting as  showing  the  results  of  the  recent 
troubles— we  are  glad  to  hear  that  they  are 
over : — 

"  Postage  Stamps. — A  further  supply  of 
postage  stamps  has  arrived,  and  there  is  now 
no  danger  of  a  recurrence  of  the  circum- 
stances, which,  together  with  an  accident  to 
a  case  of  stamps,  led  to  the  recent  surcharging 


of  stamps  and  issue  of  tokens.  Of  the 
three  shillings  stamps  surcharged  one  penny 
33,420  were  sold,  and  returns,  which  have 
recently  been  received,  show  that  23,901  of 
the  tokens  were  used  in  accounting  for  the 
postages  paid  in  cash  at  the  different  post 
offices  in  accordance  with  the  notice  published 
in  the  Gazette  of  the  19th  March  last." — 
Monthly  Journal. 

i 


British  South  Africa. — We  illustrate 
the  design  of  the  new  id.  stamp,  which  we 
hear  will  be  followed  by  a  complete  set  of 
all  the  values,  from  £d.  to  10s.,  of  similar 
design. 


Canada. — We  now  illustrate  the  new  2c. 
Imperial  stamp  mentioned  in  our  last,  which 
was,  in  error,  stated  to  be  on  white.  As  it 
happens  there  are  three  printings  ;  we 
believe  them  to  be  three  (or  at  least  two) 
different  issues.  The  first  which  came  over 
and  were  posted  in  Ottawa,  on  December 
7th,  had  a  background  of  lavender,  which, 
by  the  way,  is  hardly  the  proper  colour  to 
represent  the  sea.  Then  came  a  blue  green, 
and  now  we  have  a  proper  greenback-ground, 
which  we  should  think,  is  what  the  printers 
have  been  striving  for. 

The  following  from  the  Montreal  Star  is 
worth  reproducing : — 

"  Ottawa,  November  25th. — When  Mr. 
Mulock  was  in  England  recently  he  was 
struck  by  the  failure  of  the  great  mass  of 
the  people  there  to  appreciate  at  their  true 
value  the  portions  of  the  British  Empire 
beyond  the  sea.  The  thought  occurred  to 
him  that  no  more  effective  object  lesson  of 


Novelties  and  Discoveries. 


39 


the  vastness  and  solidarity  of  the  Empire 
could  be  given  than  by  presenting  a  picture 
on  the  new  Imperial  penny  postage  stamp, 
contrasting  the  dimensions  of  Greater  Britain 
with  those  of  all  other  Powers. 

"The  feature  of  the  stamp  is  a  neatly 
executed  map  of  the  world,  in  miniature, 
distinguishing  the  British  Empire  from  the 
possessions  of  all  other  Powers.  The  British 
possessions  are  printed  in  red,  aud  these 
stand  out  in  bold  relief  against  a  dark 
background.  Surmounting  this  picture  is  a 
representation  of  the  Crown,  underneath 
which  is  a  bunch  of  oak  and  maple 
leaves,  symbolizing  the  Unity  of  England 
and  Canada. 

"  At  the  upper  edge  of  the  stamps  are  the 
words  '  Canada  postage '  in  a  neat  letter. 
Underneath  the  map  is  placed  '  Xmas, 
1898,'  so  that  the  date  of  the  inauguration 
of  Imperial  penny  postage  shall  be  made 
a  matter  of  record.  On  each  of  the  lower 
corners  appears  the  figure  '2,'  indicating 
the  denomination  of  the  stamp,  and  at  the 
lower  edge  is  this  suggestive  passage,  taken 
from  the  words  of  one  of  our  patriotic 
poets,  '  We  hold  a  vaster  Empire  than  has 
been.'  " 

A  dhesives. 

2  cents  black,  carmine,  and  lavender. 
2      ,,       •   „  „  „    blue  green. 

2     „  „  „  „    green. 

Cape  of  Good  Hope. — The  London 
Philatelist  is  informed  by  Lieut.  Raby  that 
the  recently  issued  &d.  green  stamp  has  been 
withdrawn  from  use.     No  reason  is  given. 

Ceylon.— Messrs.  Whitfield,  King  &  Co., 
send  us  the  15c.  surcharged  "six  cents"  at 
foot,  in  black,  intended  to  be  used  for 
Imperial  penny  postage. 

A  dhesive. 
6c.  in  black  on  15e.  sage-green. 
Cook's  Island. — Three  values  of  the  new 
series  have  appeared. 

A  dhesives. 
2d.  brown. 
6d.  violet. 
Is.  carmine. 
Fiji. — Messrs.     Campbell    &    Co.    have 
shown    the  Monthly  Journal  the  current  5d. 
perf.  10  all  round. 

A  dhesive. 
5d.  ultramarine,  perf.  10. 

Gold  Coast. — A  foreign  contemporary 
announces  the  following  values  of  the  types 
of  the  high  values  : — 

Id.  violet  and  carmine. 

3d.  violet  and  yellow. 

6d.  violet  and  violet-blue. 
to  which  must  be  added,  according  to  the 
Timbre  Poste  :  — 

2id.  violet  and  ultramarine. 

Is.  deep  green  and  black. 

2s.  deep  green  and  carmine. 

Great  Barrier  Island. — Messrs.  Whit- 
field, King  &  Co.  have  sent  us  a  specimen 
of  a  stamp  which  is  apparently  type-set,  and 
bears  a  fanciful  design  with  the  words 
"Great  Barrier  Island  special  post"  and 
"  one  shilling  "  on  each  side.  It  is  oblong, 
printed  in  blue  on  white,  on  water-marked 
paper,  and  we  will  illustrate  it  in  our  next; 
The  perforation  is  a  sort  of  rough  pin  perf. 


13.  We  have  not  yet  looked  up  our  Atlas 
to  see  where  Great  Barrier  Island  may  be, 
but  we  are  informed  that  it  is  a  long  strip  of 
land  somewhere  off  the  coast  of  New  Zealand. 
In  sending  us  the  stamp,  Messrs.  Whitfield, 
King  &  Co.  state:  "  The  stamp  is  said  to  be 
used  to  prepay  letters  from  the  Island  to 
Auckland  by  private  ships  ;  there  is  only  on© 
value.  We  have  no  reason  to  doubt  its 
bona-fide  nature,  but  we  are  making  enquiries 
about  it." 

Adhesive. 
Is.  pale  blue  on  white. 
Jhind. — M.  Moens  announces  the  1  rupee, 
carmine    and    green,    with    the    surcharge 
"  Service  "  in  black. 

Official  Stamp. 

1  rupee,  carmine  and  green  and  black. 
Morocco  Agencies. — There  is  a  variety 
on  the  sheet  of  all   the   values   having  the 
letter  "  M  "  smaller. 

Newfoundland. — The  2c.  now  comes 
over  with  the  colour  changed  from  orange  to 
vermilion  red.  This  is  the  stamp  with  the 
portrait  of  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

A  dhesive. 
2c.  vermilion  red. 

New  South  Wales. — It  is  announced 
that  the  current  2^d.  stamp  has  been  changed 
in  colour  to  blue,  but  we  can  give  no  details 
at  present. 

Queensland. — The  "  I.B.J."  announces a. 
news  band  of  id.,  with  stamp  of  the  current 
type,  but  with  the  inscription  altered,  the 
wording  now  reading  :  "  If  this  rule  be  in- 
fringed the  statutory  penalty  will  be  enforced, ' ' 
instead  of  the  former  inscription, which  was  : 
"If  this  rule  be  infringed  the  packet  will  be 
charged  as  a  letter. " 

The  Monthly  Journal  has  received  a  Jd. 
stamp  of  a  new  design,  or  perhaps  it  should 
be  termed  a  modification  of  the  previous  one. 
The  shape  is  still  oblong,  but  the  head  is  on 
a  white  ground  in  a  beaded  circle,  the 
diameter  of  which  is  little  less  than  the 
depth  of  the  stamp;  the  words  "Queensland" 
and  "  halfpenny"  are  consequently  placed 
upon  curved,  coloured  labels,  at  left  and 
right  respectively,  and  the  value  is  further 
indicated  by  white  figures  in  each  corner. 
The  id.,  the  design  of  which  has  not  yet  been 
changed  again,  comes  over  with  a  very 
curious  species  of  perforation  ;  it  is  rouletted 
(if  we  may  so  term  it,  for  want  of  a  better 
expression)  by  means  of  a  zig-zag  rule,  with 
angles  open,  producing  a  similar  appearance 
to  that  of  ordinary  perforation  when  the 
stamps  are  separated — a  pair  at  least  being 
required  to  show  the  true  nature  of  the  case. 
Both  stamps  have  the  ordinary  Q  and  Crown 
watermark. 

Adhesives. 

id.  deep  green,  new  type,  perf.  13. 

Id.  vermillion,  zig-zag  roulette,  13. 

Newsband. 

Id.  vermillion  on  buff,  125  by  200mm.,  with  altered 
inscription. 

St.  Vincent.— The  "  I.B.J."  announces 
a  set  in  exactly  the  same  type  as  the  new 
Sierra    Leone    stamps.     In    each    case   the 


4o 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


second  colour  is  that  of  the  name  and  value. 
They  are  all  watermarked  Crown  C.A., 
perf 14. 

Adhesive*. 

Jd.  lilac  and  green. 
Id.  lilac  and  carmine. 
2£d.  lilac  and  ultramarine. 
3d.  lilac  and  olive-green. 
4d.  lilac  and  red-brown. 
5d.  lilac  and  black. 
(id.  lilac  and  deep  blue. 
Is.  sea-green  and  carmine. 
5s.  sea-green  and  ultramarine. 

StraitsSettlements. — These,  has  been 
printed  in  pale  brown,  and  surcharged 
"  four  cents  "  in  two  lines  in  black,  to  con- 
form wiih  the  Imperial  penny  postage. 

Adhesive. 
4c.  in  black  on  5c.  pale  brown, 
"Watermark  C.A.,  perf.  14. 

Other  Countries. 

Belgium.— The  current  50c.  stamp  is  now 
printed  in  black  instead  of  grey,  as  announ- 
ced by  us  in  December. 

Adhesive. 
50  blai  k. 


Brazil. —  In  addition  to  the  surcharge 
mentioned  in  our  last  number,  several  others 
have  appeared,  but  the  list  seems  to  be  so 
complicated  at  present  that  we  now  illustrate 
the  one  chronicled  by  us  last  month,  but 
only  give  the  following  additions  for  the 
present. 

100  reis  in  violet  on  50  reis  orange. 

1000  reis  in  green  on  500  reis  orange. 

1000  reis  in  green  on  700  reis  orange. 

2000  reis  in  green  on  1000  reis  orange. 

300  reis  in  violet  on  200  reis  orange. 

The  latter   s  on  the  authority  of  the  Monthly  Journal. 


""China. — In  chronicling  the  stamps  men- 
tioned in  our  last  number,  we  find  we  made 
a  mistake  in  not  stating  that  they  belonged 
to  the  London  print  or  "  Waterlow  "  series, 
which  were  already  chronicled  by  us  in 
November  last.  The  actual  set,  therefore, 
consists  of  a  \,  1,  2,  4,5, 10,20,30,50c,  $r,  $2 


and  $5.  The  perforations  seem  to  vary  in 
the  different  values.  We  now  illustrate  the 
$2  value. 

Columbia. — A  new  value  of  the  current 
type,  with  arms  in  circle,  has  appeared  here. 
Perf.  13. 

A  dhesive. 
1  centavo  red  on  yellow. 

France. — Some  excitement  has  been 
caused  among  our  Parisian  confreres  by  the 
appearance  of  certain  unused  specimens  of 
the  current  10c. ,  black  on  lilac,  stamp  of  the 
first  type  ("  inv  "  under  "b"  of  "  replb- 
lique").  The  explanation  is  curious  and 
worthy  of  record.  It  appears  that  the  plate 
of  the  ioc.  value  was  in  some  way  damaged, 
and  while  the  mischief  was  being  remedied 
some  old  cliches  of  the  first  type  were  made 
to  occupy  the  damaged  positions  on  the  sheet. 
The  10c.  value  is  printed  in  sheets  of  300 
stamps  (which,  however,  are  distributed  to 
the  Post  Offices  in  half-sheets  of  150  each), 
composed  of  12  small  panes  of  25  stamps 
each.  We  append  a  plan  of  the  sheet  which 
has  been  issued, composed  of  the  two  types: — - 


There  are  therefore  200  stamps  (S  panes  of 
25  each)  of  the  first  type  on  the  sheet,  and 
100  stamps  (4  panes  of  25  each)  of  the  second 
type;  or,  as  distributed  to  the  Post  Offices, 
the  right-hand  half  of  the  sheet  contained 
150  stamps  all  of  the  first  type  and  the 
left-hand  half  50  of  the  first  type,  and  100 
of  the  second  type. — London  Philatelist. 

Hungary. — The  T.P.  chronicles  the  1 
Kreuger  Journal  stamp  with  the  new 
"crown  "  watermark. 

Unpaid  letter  stamp. — 1  kr.,  orange  ;  water" 
mark  crown. 


trwww 

India. — We  illustrate  the  "design  ot  the 
\  anna  Provisional  Stamp  chronicled  some- 
time ago. 


Novelties  and  Discoveries. 


4i 


Japan. — Mr.  George  Braithwaite  has 
kindly  sent  us  specimens  of  the  one  sen. 
card  for  the  interior,  which  was  issued  on 
January  1st.  A  reply  card  for  the  same 
purpose  was  also  issued  at  the  same  time, 
and  also  new  adhesives  of  the  value  of  2,  4 
and  10  sen.,  specimens  of  which  our  corres- 
pondent has  kindly  forwarded.  They  are  of 
an  entirely  new  design,  and  we  will  illustrate 
them  in  our  next.  All  perforated  12,  but 
without  watermark. 

Adhesive. 

2  sen.  green. 
4  sen.  rose. 
jo  sen.  blue. 
Post  cards. 
1  sen.  brown  on  white. 
1  x  1  sen.  brown  on  white. 

Norway. — There  are  two  new  letter  cards 
here,  with  stamps  of  design  of  the  current 
Adhesives.  The  Cards  are  white  outside  and 
pink  inside,  size  140  by  315mm. 

Letter-  Cards. 
5  6re,  green  on  white. 
10     „    red  ,, 

Nicaragua.— The  issue  of  1896  Officials 
is  said  to  exist  with  the  surcharge  1897  in 
red. 

Orange  Free  State.— We  have  received, 
used  on  a  newspaper,  a  specimen  of  the  one 
shilling,  printed  in  the  colour  of  the  half- 
penny. Whether  this  is  a  new  issue  or  an 
error  we  do  not  know,  but  it  was  evidently 
used  in  the  belief  that  it  was  a  £d.  stamp. 
A  new  postcard  with  stamp,  of  usual  design 
to  the  right,  has  appeared. 

Adhesive 
Is.  brown  (?  error). 

Post  Card. 
\&.  rose  on  white. 

Peru. — In  addition  to  the  cards  chronicled 
in  our  last,  we  have  now  another  value,  the 
design  being  similar,  but  being  printed  en- 
tirely in  black  on  white. 

Post  Card. 
3  centavos,  black  on  white. 

Portuguese  Colonies. — Messrs.  Whit- 
field King  &  Co.  inform  us  that  the  15  and 
25  reis  were  issued  on  the  1st  January  in  new 
colours,  the  change  having  been  rendered 
necessary  by  the  recommendation  of  the 
Postal  Union,  these  values  being  equal  to  Jd. 
and  id.  respectively.  Up  to  the  present  the 
change  has  occurred  in  Angra,  Funchal, 
Horta  and  Ponte  Delgada,  but  it  is  pre- 
sumed that  the  other  colonies  will  follow  suit. 

Adhesive. 
15  reis,  blue-green. 
25  reis,  pink. 


Portugal.— The  same  remark  applies  as 
to  the  Colonies. 

Adhesives. 
15  reis,  blue-green. 
25  reis,  pink. 

Salvador. — MekeeFs  Weekly  announces 
the  ic.  and  2c.  envelopes  of  1897,  each  with 
a  surcharge  the  same  colour  as  the  stamp, and 
reading  respectively  "  Servicio  Nacional 
y  Local"  and  "Servicio  del  Exterior." 

Envelopes. 
ic  rose,  surcharged  in  rose. 
2C. ,  green,         ,,  green. 


Surinam. — We  illustrate  the  10c.  pro- 
visional recently  chronicled. 

United  States. — According  to  MekeeVs 
Weekly,  some  rare  provisional  unpaid  letter 
stamps  were  issued  in  Jefferson,  Iowa,  on 
October  6th,  1895.  They  were  made  by  the 
postmaster,  who,  having  run  out  of  1  cent 
"  postage  due  "  stamps,  cut  some  of  the  2 
cents  in  half,  and  surcharged  each  half 
••  Postage  Due — 1  Cent  "  in  two  lines. 
Only  about  twenty  are  said  to  have  been 
issued.  The  2  cents  reply  card  has  been 
altered  by  having  the  frame  removed  and 
its  size  changed,  and  the  15  cents  adhesive 
now  comes  in  olive. 

Adhesive. 
15c,  olive. 

Reply  Card. 
ic.    by   ic.  black  on  cream,   no   frame,  size  140  by 
83mm. 

s2 
K 


\Z\j\j\j^rru 


Uruguay. — We  now  illustrate  the  type 
of  surcharge  of  the  various  provisionals 
recently  chronicled,  and  also  a  new  stamp  of 
5  mil,  which  is  equal  to  \  centavo.  This  is 
printed  in  pink,  on  rough  unwatermark 
paper,  and  we  should  not  be  at  all  surprised 
if  it  were  not  to  remain  in  use  long. 

Adhesive. 
5  mil.,  pink.  perf.   \x\. 


The  first  issue  of  the  imperforate  British 
Central  Africa  provisionals  (cheque  stamps) 
were  signed  at  the  back  by  the  Postmaster 
General  with  either  J.  T.  G.,  J.  G.,  or  J.  T. 
Gosling. 

The  Government  of  India  still  decline  to 
exempt  stamps  from  Customs  duty. 

"  Fiscalists  "  is  the  new  word  which  the 
editor  of  Stamps  has  invented  to  describe 
collectors  of  fiscal  stamps. 

At  an  auction  held  at  Boston  (U.S.A.) 
recently,  a  pair  of  id.  black  Great  Britain 
brought  #1.50  against  a  catalogue  value  of 
20c.  This  is  certainly  one  of  those  stamps 
that  are  most  underpriced.  At  the  same 
sale,  the  is.  Tobago  error  of  colour  was  sold 
for  $3.00. 

Mr.  F.  C.  Fisher  is  starting  a  new  Ex- 
change Society  for  pain,  blocks,  and  strips  of 
stamps  only. 

About  five  years  ago,  the  plates  of  the 
Providence  (U.S.)  locals  came  into  the 
possession  of  an  American  firm  of  dealers, 
and  they  have  now  decided  to  make  re- 
prints. So  that  these  reprints  cannot  be 
passed  off  as  originals,  each  of  the  twelve 
stamps  will  have  a  large  letter  printed  in 
yellow-brown  on  the  back,  thus  : — 

BOG 

E     R     T 

D     U    R 

B     I     N 

An  American  firm  announces  that  in  one 
of  their  recent  sales  they  received  1,329  bids 
by  post,  and  could  only  buy  159  lots  for  their 
customers ! 

The  following  reasons  for  the  issue  of  the 
2^d.  on  is.  Samoa  are  given  by  a  German 
Navy  Officer : — 

"  King  Malietoa  had  hardly  died,  when 
the  order  was  given  by  the  postmaster  to  all 
offices  to  immediately  return  their  entire 
stock  of  the  2§d.  stamps,  which  bore  the 
King's  effigy.  It  was  explained  that  the 
natives  consider  it  a  sin  to  look  upon  the 
picture  of  a  dead  ruler.  The  provisional 
surcharge  is  very  roughly  made  by  hand, 
but  a  stamp  of  a  new  type  of  the  same  de- 
nomination was  ordered  in  New  Zealand. 
It  is  expected  shortly.-; 


"  Kuumania  will  issue  a  commemorative 
stamp  upon  the  occasion  of  the  dedication 
of  its  new  Postal  Building  in  Bucharest. 
This  stamp  will  be  three  times  the  ordinary 
size ;  its  design  will  be  of  the  Byzantine 
style,  the  centre  representing  the  facade  of 
the  new  building,  flanked  by  Byzantine 
columns.  Above  will  be  a  medallion  por- 
trait of  King  Karol,  at  either  side  of  it 
the  emblems  of  the  Postal  and  Telegraph 
services.  The  die  was  cut  by  the  Rou- 
manian engraver,  Popescu,  at  Paris." — 
Philatelic  Monthly. 

The  Brazilian  postcards  of  40  and  80  reis 
are  withdrawn  from  circulation. 

"  I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  value  of  the 
local  club  as  a  true  promoter  of  good  fellow- 
ship and  collecting  impulses ;  and  that 
philatelist  who  fails  to  take  advantage  of  the 
privileges  of  club  membership  loses  much  of 
real  value.  The  exhibiting  of  new  issues, 
the  exchange  of  duplicates,  the  examination 
of  private  collections,  the  exchange  of  stamp 
magazines,  talks,  and  lectures,  all  assist  in 
making  one's  own  collection  seem  more 
precious." — A merican  Exchange. 

A  number  of  hitherto  unknown  varieties 
of  the  stamps  of  the  Republic  of  Colombia, 
and  some  of  the  States,  appear  to  have  been 
discovered  recently,  but  as  there  are  so 
many  of  them,  and  their  character  appears 
somewhat  peculiar,  we  do  not  care  to 
chronicle  anything  further  at  present.  We 
rather  suspect  reprints  or  remainders,  most 
likely  the  former. 

The  Philatelic  Society,  of  India,  an- 
nounces the  early  appearance  of  Part  II.  of 
its  work  on  the  British-Indian  Adhesive 
Stamps,  surcharged  for  Native  States  It 
comprises  Jhind,  Nabha,  and  Patiala. 

The  following  portions  of  the  "  Tapling  " 
Collection  are  now  on  view  at  the  British 
Museum  : — 

Spain,  issues  from  January  1st,  1873. 
France,  issues  down  to  October,  1862. 

Two  journals  on  the  Continent,  namely, 
La  Opinion  Impartial,  in  Madrid,  and  The 
Kleines  Journal,  in  Berlin,  daily  provide  their 
readers  with  a  column  on  Philately.  Surely, 
this  is  a  considerable  advancement  on  the 
past,  and  we  can  see  the  time  approaching 
when  the  same  may  be  found  in  the  London 
daily  papers. 


Items  of  Interest. 


43 


There  is  soon  to  be  a  new  value — 70  cen- 
times— in  Switzerland. 

The  German  ring  of  collectors  having 
secured  the  old  dies  of  the  stamps  of  Bruns- 
wick, and  also  dies  of  some  of  the  essays  of 
designs  which  never  came  into  circulation, 
all  these  have  been  handed  to  the  German 
Imperial  Postal  Museum  in  Berlin,  so  that 
no  reprints  can  ever  be  made  again. 

The  Committee  of  the  Paris  Exhibition  of 
1900   is   still  growing,    and    the    following 
names  may  now  be  added  : — 
Messrs.  R.  R.  Bogert, 

Bouman, 

W.  D.  Beckton, 

W.  Grunewald, 

Jourin  Suter, 

M.  Galvez  Jiminez, 

Major  Shenek,  and 

Theodor  Buhl. 

In  the  Illustriertes  Briefmarken  Journal 
appears  a  little  article  on  the  subject  of 
"  Postal  Orders  and  Post  Office  Orders."  It 
is  written  by  Dr.  J.  I.,  and  it  pleases  us  very 
much  to  hear  from  this  authority  that  in 
Great  Britain  a  cheque  under  £2  need  not 
be  impressed  with  the  stamp,  and  that, 
therefore,  it  is  possible  to  remit  any  sum 
under  £2  at  a  total  outlay  of  id.,  the  cheque 
costing  nothing,  and  the  postage  costing  id. 
We  should  like  to  see  Dr.  J.  I.  present  a 
cheque  in  this  country  for  any  sum,  say  even 
5/-,  and  observe  his  disappointment  if  he 
could  not  receive  cash  for  it  because  it  was 
not  stamped. 

The  idea  is  gaining  ground  that  at  the 
time  of  the  1900  Exhibition,  the  French 
Government  should  be  requested  to  in- 
augurate the  National  Exhibition  of  postage 
stamps.  M.  Maury  supports  the  idea  in  the 
last  number  of  his  paper,  and  other  remarks 
on  the  subject  will  be  found  in  another 
column. 

It  is  stated  that  the  special  stamps  of 
Nossi-Be,  Diego-Suarez,  Mayotte.and  Sainte- 
Marie  have  been  suppressed,  and  that  the 
stamps  of  Madagascar  and  Dependencies  are 
now  used  in  their  place.  Other  sources  have 
announced  that  the  stamps  of  the  first  four 
named  Colonies  were  surcharged,  and  from 
still  another  source  comes  information  that 
the  stamps  are  being  used  indiscriminately  ; 
in  fact,  that  the  stamps  of  Nossi-Be  and 
Diego-Suarez  have  been  seen  used  together 
on  a  letter  from  Madagascar. 

The  proprietors  of  the  Austria  Philatelist 
are  inviting  subscriptions  for  an  important 
work  on  the  obliterations  of  Austria,  Hun- 
gary, and  Lombardy.  It  is  to  contain  no 
less  than  70  plates,  and  the  price,  elegantly 
bound,  will  be  mks.  5,  but  we  are  afraid  the 
general  demand  for  such  a  work  will  not 
be  sufficiently  large  enough  to  ensure  its 
success. 


Abundant  evidence  of  the  growth  of 
Philately  in  South  America  is  the  appearance 
of  the  Brazilian  Philatelic  Directory,  which  has 
just  reached  us,  and  which  consists  of  just 
over  100  pages,  giving  the  names  and 
addresses  of  collectors  in  almost  every  town 
of  importance,  and  many  others  in  Brazil. 
Among  the  names  we  notice  a  very  large 
number  of  English  and  German. 

The  Buenos  Aires  Philatelico  is  rather  an- 
noyed about  the  25c.  error  of  Uruguay  with 
the  centre  inverted,  but  the  annoyance 
appears  to  be  principally  that  the  stamp  is 
fetching  £2%,  and  apparently  because  the 
writer  did  not  secure  a  copy  or  two  at  face 
value. 

We  are  pleased  to  announce  that  the 
eminent  Philatelist,  Mr.  Stewart  Wilson,  has 
been  appointed  Postmaster-General  of  the 
Punjab,  from  January  1st  last.  We  feel  sure 
both  from  a  public  and  Philatelic  point  of 
view  the  department  will  be  in  good  hands, 
and  that  Mr.  Stewart  Wilson  will  do  his 
best  to  exterminate  unnecessary  issues. 

From  an  official  decree  appearing  in  a 
Paraguay  paper  which  has  been  sent  us,  we 
find  that  the  Provisional  10  centavos  on  4 
centavos,  was  issued  on  the  12th  August, 
1898. 

Some  of  our  readers  will  be  interested  to 
know  that  we  contemplate  shortly  reserving 
a  page  or  so  each  month  for  matters  con- 
nected with  the  collecting  of  Fiscals. 


The  Statutes  of  the  Dresden  Philatelic 
Society  for  1899  are,  as  usual,  very  in- 
teresting reading ;  they  are  published  in  four 
languages,  and  we  think  that  all  advanced 
Philatelists  should  obtain  them  and  join  the 
Society,  which  numbers,  we  believe,  some- 
thing approaching  2,000  members. 

To  show  the  interest  taken  in  Philately  by 
the  daily  Press,  we  have  received  a  copy  of 
the  Syracuse  Times  of  January  15th,  which 
not  only  gives  a  full  column  description  of 
the  fine  collection  of  Mr.  J.  F.  Seybold,  but 
also  large  illustrations  of  his  rarities  on 
entire  envelopes,  such  as  the  Franklin  5c, 
Providence  5c,  Oldenburgs,  &c. 

We  beg  to  remind  our  readers  that  May 
1st  next  is  the  last  day  for  entries  for  the 
Manchester  Exhibition,  at  which  no  less 
than  140  gold,  silver,  and  bronze  medals  will 
be  offered  for  competition. 

From  the  annual  report  of  the  Inter- 
national Dealers'  Society,  at  Berlin,  we  find 
that  now  there  are  no  less  than  197  members, 
without  counting  the  one  honorary  member — - 
Mr.  J.  B.  Moens.  Very  few,  who  are  not 
members,  are  aware  how  much  good  this 
Society  does  in  a  quiet  way, 


44 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Our  readers  will  perhaps  notice  an  adver- 
tisement of  Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co., 
which  announces  their  intention  of  bringing 
out  a  Universal  Standard  Catalogue  at  a 
reduced  price,  which  is  to  be  issued  without 
reference  to  perforations  or  to  watermarks, 
except  in  important  cases. 

Postage  to  Malta  (from  the  Daily  Mail) : — 
"  Malta,  25  Jan. 

"  The  Malta  Government  has  found  the 
way  for  a  partial  adoption  of  the  penny 
postage  —  a  measure  rendered  inevitable 
by  the  circumstance  that  the  majority  of 
correspondents  in  the  United  Kingdom 
would  only  affix  a  id.  stamp  to  their  letters, 
although  Malta  has  not  joined  in  that  postal 
reform. 

' '  A  notice  issued  by  the  Governor  announces 
that  no  surcharge  of  postage  will  be  claimed 
by  the  Malta  Post  Office  on  letters  from  the 
United  Kingdom  weighing  under  £oz.,  on 
which  postage  equivalent  to  id.  has  been 
paid. 

"  Letters  posted  here  will,  of  course,  con- 
tinue under  the  2^d.  charge  per  £oz." 


A  certain  Mr.  Evans  stood  in  a  post  office 
preparing  to  post  a  letter,  and  had  just 
moistened  two  halfpenny  stamps,  when  they 
slipped  from  his  fingers  and  fluttered  to  the 
floor.  Mr.  Evans,  who  is  a  portly  man, 
looked  at  them  in  disgust,  and  then  stooped 
to  pick  them  up.  Before  he  could  put  his 
fingers  upon  them,  however,  they  began  to 
move  slowly  away  from  him  along  the  floor. 
He  drew  back,  and  gazed  at  the  spectacle 
with  astonishment  and  terror.  When  they 
reached  the  side  of  the  room  they  began 
slowly  to  ascend  the  wall.  Mr.  Evans  was 
so  astonished  that  he  begged  someone  to 
feel  his  pulse,  for  he  thought  that  something 
was  wrong  with  himself.  Meanwhile,  the 
stamps  had  risen  half-way  to  the  ceiling,  and 
were  still  gliding  upwards.  Happily  for 
Mr.  Evans's  sanity,  the  square  bits  of  red 
paper  just  then  altered  their  course,  and 
began  to  descend,  and  soon  they  were  within 
reach  of  his  hand.  Then  the  strange 
mystery  was  fully  explained.  The  moistened 
stamps  had  fallen  upon  a  big  fly's  back,  and 
had  stuck  to  the  insect,  which,  naturally 
enough,  started  off  with  them. 


Notices. 


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home  or  abroad  on  receipt  of  5s.  Subscribers'  remittances  should  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  Messrs.  Buhl  &  Co., 
Limited,  n,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  England. 


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IMPORTANT    NOTICE. 


Owing  to  want  of  space,  our  "  Reviews  "  are  held  over  until  next  month.  The  delay 
in  the  appearance  of  this  number  is  due  to  the  delay  in  the  Interview,  and  to  the  unfortunate 
illness  of  the  Editor. 


Is  the  O'Connell  an  Essay  ? 

Some  discussion  has  been  going  on  in 
transatlantic  contemporaries  as  to  whether 
the  famous  O'Connell  stamp  of  New  Bruns- 
wick can  correctly  be  called  a  real  postage 
stamp,  or  only  an  essay.  The  history  of 
this  stamp,  says  Stamp  Talk,  can  be  briefly 
repeated.  In  1861  the  Hon.  Charles  Connell 
(or  O'Connell?)  was  made  Postmaster- 
General  of  New  Brunswick.  Acting  in  his 
official  capacity,  he  ordered  a  supply  of 
stamps  from  the  American  Bank  Note  Com- 
pany, from  designs  which  he  himself  pre- 
pared. The  ic,  with  a  steam  engine,  his 
own  portrait  on  the  5c,  that  of  the  Queen 
on  the  ioc,  and  a  steamboat  on  the  i2^c., 
and  the  Prince's  portrait  on  the  17c.  About 
the  time  of  the  arrival  of  these  stamps  from 
the  Bank  Note  Company,  Mr.  O'Connell 
gave  a  banquet,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
evening  each  of  the  200  guests  was  pre- 
sented with  a  copy  of  the  5c.  bearing  their 
host's  portrait.  Some  of  these  were  used 
next  day,  and  duly  passed  through  the 
mails.  However,  a  political  opponent  set  to 
work  to  make  the  appearance  of  this  sign  of 
the  Postmaster-General's  self-esteem  the 
occasion  for  a  disturbance.  A  mass  meet- 
ing was  called,  and  O'Connell  was  requested 
to  resign.  Upon  his  resignation  the  ob- 
noxious stamp  was  destroyed. 

We  fail  to  understand  why  there  can  be 
two  opinions  on  the  matter,  for  if  the  stamp 
did  duty  for  postage,  and  was  authorized  by 
he  who  was  the  proper  authority  at  the 
time,  it  must  have  been  a  legal  issue.  A 
writer  in  the  International  Philatelist,  says, 
"I  have  thoroughly  investigated  the  subject, 
and  have  arrived  at  the  decision  that  not  a 
single  specimen  was  ever  used  for  postage," 
but  we  think  he  is  wrong.  Used  copies  that 
could  be  well  authenticated  have  been  heard 
of,  and  are  to  be  found  in  many  old  collec- 
tions.— Stamps. 

Danube  and  other  Locals. 

A  long  and  interesting  article  on  the  col- 
lectibility of  the  stamps  of  the  Danube 
Steam  Navigation  Company  and  similar 
Companies  on  the  Danube  appears  in  what 
is  certainly  now  rather  an  old  number  of 
the  reports  of  the  German  Ring  of  collectors. 
The  article  is  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  L.  Berger, 
of  Brunswick,  and  was  originally  read  as  a 
paper  by  this  gentleman  at  one  of  the  annual 
meetings.  We  ourselves  have  never  doubted 
the  genuine  postal  character  of  any  of  these 
labels.  Most  of  our  readers  probably  know 
the  T.  B.  Morton  &  Co.  stamp,  of  Con- 
stantinople, and  many  have  no  doubt,  like 
ourselves,  seen  undoubted  used  copies  of  the 


Danube  Steam  Navigation  Company's 
stamps,  although  the  remainders  and  re- 
prints are  to  be  had  so  cheap.  ^^C'gs- 
Amongst  the  stamps,  which  our;  author 
mentions  in  a  very  long  paragraph  as 
undoubtedly  worthy  of  being  collected, 
are  those  of  the  following  :  —  "  Donau- 
Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft,"  T.  B.  Morton 
and  Company,  "  Tavastehus-Tammersfors,'^ 
''Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft  Helsingfors- 
Bobacka,"  "  Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft 
Thyra,"  "Comp.  Holback,"  "  Packetbeforde- 
rungs-Gesellschaft  zu  Odense,"  "Tyriffjord,1* 
and  "  Suez-Canal  "  stamps. 

Zanzibar  Provisionals. 

LI  Echo  de  la  Timbrologie  contains  a  long 
and  complicated  article  on  the  Provisional 
Stamps  of  Zanzibar,  of  July,  1897.  These 
Zanzibar  stamps  are  not  the  ordinary  British 
variety,  but  French  stamps  surcharged  with 
different  figures  of  value  in  annas,  and  some- 
times re-surcharged,  as  far  as  we  can  see, 
several  times  over.  There  are  also  blank 
pages  of  paper  with  type-set  designs,  and 
although  the  illustrations  given  are  only  25,, 
we  have  an  idea  that  to  collect  according  to 
the  author  of  the  article,  who  is  no  less  a 
celebrity  than  M.  F.  Marconett,  would 
require  a  good  sized  album,  without  thinking 
of  collecting  any  other  country.  Our  par- 
ticular attention  is  drawn  to  the  fact  that 
in  some  printings  the  margins  between  the 
panes  of  stamps  constituting  the  sheet  have 
received  surcharges,  and  therefore  these 
plain  pieces  of  paper  with  the  surcharge 
should  also  be  collected  as  rare  varieties,  but 
then,  according  to  an  elaborate  system  of 
calculation,  they  are  rarer  in  some  ways 
than  in  others,  and  therefore  they  become 
more  valuable  in  pairs,  namely,  a  stamp 
with  a  surcharge  and  a  piece  of  paper  wich 
a  surcharge  together ;  but  then,  again,  the 
rarity  depends  whether  the  margin  or  the 
piece  of  paper  with  the  surcharge  is  at  the 
top,  bottom,  right  or  left  hand  side  of  the 
stamp.  To  sum  up,  the  article  may  be,  and 
no  doubt  is,  very  interesting  to  those  who 
like  it,  but  we  fancy  the  average  result  would 
be  a  headache. 

Gibraltar. 

Mr.  Herbert  F.  Maxted  writes  to  the 
S.C.F.  that  the  postmistress  of  Gibraltar 
pronounces  the  surcharge  "  Morocco  Agen- 
cies "  in  blue  on  the  50c.  Gibraltar  to  be  a. 
forgery.  As  we  know  of  copies  received 
direct  at  face  value,  we  cannot  understand 
the  object  of  such  a  forgery.  Besides  which 
the  surcharge  is  hardly  blue — it  is  blue- 
black,  like  Stephens'  inks,  and  to  our  mind 
as  much  black  as  blue. 


46 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Moving  Post  Offices. 

The  United  States  postal  authorities  are 
about  to  inaugurate  a  system  of  moving  post- 
offices  on  wheels,  which  will  circulate  among 
the  remote  and  rural  districts  and  extend 
free  delivery  to  farmers  in  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Experiments  are  to  be  made  by 
the  authorities  on  New  Year's  Day,  and  the 
utility  of  the  post-wagon,  which  will  be  pre- 
sided over  by  a  regularly  appointed  post- 
master, will  be  put  to  a  practical  test.  The 
following  description  of  the  "  travel-rural 
post-office"  is  taken  from  the  Tribune: — 
"  The  post-office  department  will  issue  plans 
and  specifications  for  a  vehicle  of  this  unique 
class  within  a  few  days.  The  exterior  will 
somewhat  resemble  the  modern  country 
stage  coach,  with  three  windows  on  a  side, 
;and  will  be  labelled  'U.S.  Mail'  in  con- 
spicuous letters.  The  body  will  be  eight 
feet  long,  four  feet  across,  and  just  high 
enough  for  a  man  six  feet  tall  to  stand  erect 
inside.  It  will  be  a  very  light  running  coach, 
weighing  but  600  pounds,  and  adapted  to  all 
kinds  of  weather — rain,  hail,  snow  or  blow, 
blizzards  or  red-hot  summer.  The  personnel 
will  consist  of  but  two — the  travelling  post- 
master and  his  driver.  The  latter  will  be 
mounted  upon  an  ample  seat  in  front, 
sheltered  overhead  and  protected  in  wet 
weather  by  a  waterproof  covering.  Entrance 
to  the  interior  of  the  vehicle  will  be  by  a 
door  on  either  side,  which,  when  shut,  will 
serve  as  the  centre  of  the  three  glass  win- 
dows. These  windows,  and  another  in  front, 
will  make  the  office  as  light  as  may  be 
desired  by  day,  while  a  blazing  lamp  will  do 
the  same  by  night.  The  postmaster  will  be 
seated  in  the  centre  of  his  office  upon  a 
revolving  chair  made  stationary  with  the 
the  floor,  Both  before  and  behind  him  will 
be  a  working  table  and  a  complete  set  of  post- 
office  pigeonholes.  Under  ordinary  circum- 
stances he  will  ride  with  his  back  toward 
the  driver,  there  being  more  room  at  his 
■rear  table  than  at  the  front.  Just  above  the 
rear  table  will  be  a  closet  with  double  doors. 
Inside  will  be  shelves,  a  cash  drawer,  and 
drawers  for  storing  stamps,  postal  cards, 
-envelopes,  cancellors,  and  other  necessities, 
including  a  trusty  gun  for  protection  against 
the  bold  highwayman,  without  whom  litera- 
ture on  mail  coaches  is  ever  dry  and  un- 
interesting. ' ' — MekeeHs   Weekly. 

Ocean  Penny  Postage. 

A  most  appropriate  article  at  the  preset 
moment  is  one  on  Ocean  Penny  Postage, 
which  appears  in  the  number  of  the  Monthly 
[ournal,  just  issued.  It  is  from  the  pen  of 
that  well-known  writer,  Mr.  E.  D.  Bacon.  As 
Mr.  Bacon  truly  says,  it  is  strange,  but  none 
the  less  true,  how  quickly  events  become 
forgotten,  and  freely  either  the  history  of 
what  were  once  popular  agitations  sink  into 
total  oblivion,  or  the  real  facts  become  mis- 
represented by  writers  of  even  the  next  or 
.the  succeeding  generation.     This  assertion  is 


strikingly  borne  out  in  the  history  of  the 
initial  movement  for  an  Ocean  Penny 
Postage,  which  has  naturally  had  lately  a 
good  deal  of  attention  drawn  to  it  owing  to  the 
adoption  of  Penny  Postage  for  certain  parts 
of  the  British  Empire  on  Christmas  Day  last. 
Every  writer  who  has  referred  to  this  early 
agitation,  including  the  author  of  a  long 
article  on  "  Imperial  Penny  Postage,"  which 
appeared  in  The  Times  on  December  24th,  is 
apparently  entirely  ignorant  of  the  true 
object  of  the  early  Ocean  Penny  Postage 
reformers,  and  what  they  meant  by  the  term. 

The  following  further  paragraphs  of  the 
article  are  so  interesting  that  we  cannot 
refrain  from  reproducing  them. 

It  was  in  the  early  part  of  1847  that  Mr. 
Elihu  Burritt  first  propounded  his  scheme  of 
Ocean  Penny  Postage.  This  philanthropist 
was  born  at  New  Britain,  Connecticut,  on 
December  8th,  1810,  and  from  the  fact  that 
he  started  life  as  a  smith,  was  afterwards 
familiarly  known  as  "the  learned  black- 
smith." He  spent  many  years  of  his  life  in 
England,  which  he  devoted  entirely  to  pro- 
moting, in  addition  to  the  cheapening  of 
postal  rates,  such  objects  as  the  abolition  of 
slavery  and  the  establishment  of  universal 
and  unbroken  peace,  with  which  latter  object 
he  founded  the  "League  of  Universal 
Brotherhood."  He  died  at  New  Britain, 
March  6th,  1879.  In  order  to  show  what 
Elihu  Burritt's  Ocean  Penny  Postage  scheme 
really  was,  it  is  only  necessary  for  me  to  give 
two  extracts  from  a  little  work  he  published 
upon  the  subject.  The  Pamphlet  is  entitled 
Ocean  Penny  Postage :  its  necessity  shown  and 
its  feasibility  demonstrated.  The  work  con- 
tains thirty-two  pages,  and  was  published 
by  C  Gilpin,  of  5,  Bishopsgate  Street  With- 
out, at  8s.  per  100,  or  2d.  each.  The  only 
copy  I  have  seen  has  lost  its  wiapper,  so  it 
is  impossible  to  say  whether  the  pamphlet 
bore  a  date  ;  but  from  the  fact  that  two  pieces 
of  poetry  at  the  end  have  the  respective  dates 
of  "  February  3rd,  1848,"  and  "Christmas, 
1848,"  and  from  other  internal  evidence  of  a 
statistical  nature,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  it  was  published  in  the  year  1849.  At 
the  top  of  the  first  page  is  the  illustration  of 
a  steamer,  with  ■■  Ocean  Penny  Postage  "  on 
the  foresail  and  "id."  on  the  flag  at  the 
masthead,  corresponding  exactly  with  that 
found  on  one  of  the  illustrations  of  the  Ocean 
Penny  Postage  envelopes.  The  following 
are  the  two  extracts  I  have  mentioned  ;  the 
first  contains  the  opening  paragraph  of  the 
work  on  page  1,  the  other  is  taken  from 
page  15  :— 

' '  That  the  term  '  Ocean  Penny  Postage  ' 
may  clearly  define  the  proposition  which  it 
is  employed  to  denominate,  it  may  be  proper 
to  state,  at  the  outset  of  our  argument,  that 
it  means  simply  this  :  That  the  single  service 
of  transporting  a  letter,  weighing  under  half 
an  ounce,  from  any  seaport  of  the  United 
Kingdom  to  any  port  beyond  the  seas,  at 
which  the  British  mail  packets  may  touch, 
shall  be  performed  by  the  English  Govern- 
ment for  one  penny  and  vice  versa ;  or,  one 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


47 


penny  for  its  mere  conveyance  from  Folkes- 
tone to  Boulogne,  Southampton  to  Bombay, 
Hull  to  Hamburg,  or  from  Liverpool  to  Bos- 
ton. As  we  would  not  ask  the  English 
Government  to  perform  any  other  than  this 
single  service  on  a  letter  for  a  penny,  con- 
sequently the  entire  charge  upon  one  trans- 
mitted from  any  town  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
either  maritime  or  inland,  to  any  port  beyond 
the  seas  would  be  twopence — one  penny  for 
the  inland  rate,  the  other  for  the  sea  rate." 

Many  of  our  readers  have  no  doubt  seen 
the  envelopes,  which  were  issued  about,  or 
soon  after,  the  period  of  the  Mulready,  and 
these  are  reproduced  in  the  Monthly 
Journal,  together  with  Mr.  Bacon's  notes 
upon  them.  The  article  concludes  with  a 
copy  of  the  pledge  of  the  Universal  Brother- 
hood, which  is  contributed  by  the  Editor  of 
the  Monthly  Journal. 

The  Manila  Post  Office. 

San  Francisco,  December  3rd. — -Re- 
ferring to  the  work  of  the  post-office  at 
Manila,  now  in  American  possession,  the 
Call  says  to-day:  "The  most  interesting 
thing  connected  with  the  acquisition  of  the 
Manila  post-office  is  the  adoption  by  the 
Federal  government  of  the  labor  facilities  of 
the  island.  Six  men  were  sent  from  the 
San  Francisco  post-office  to  Manila,  and 
this  number  was  reinforced  by  fourteen 
men  from  Manila.  Two  of  these  latter  are 
United  States  soldiers  who  had  enlisted 
from   the   postal    service,    and   twelve    are 


Spanish  postal  employes,  retained  because  of 
their  knowledge  of  the  Spanish  language 
and  the  routine  of  the  office.  The  Spanish 
before  the  American  occupation  received 
salaries  of  $150  per  annum  in  Mexican 
silver,  being  equal  to  about  $75  in  American 
silver  or  gold  coin.  The  office  was  closed 
every  alternate  day,  and  when  working  it 
was  closed  for  two  and  three  hours  each 
day,  beginning  about  noon.  The  total 
number  employed  was  200,  but  they  took 
life  easy,  and  did  the  work  of  about  twenty 
Americans.  The  twelve  Spaniards  who  are 
retained  receive  salaries  ranging  from  $150 
to  $200  per  annum  in  Mexican  silver,  such 
being  the  ruling  rate  of  wages  in  the  Philip- 
pines for  that  kind  of  service,  but  they  have 
to  work  every  day  instead  of  every  alternate 
day  as  heretofore." — The  Post  Office. 

Cuban  Postal  Service. 

E.  G.  Rathbone,  of  Ohio,  ex-Assistant 
Postmaster  General,  was  to-day  (December 
10th)  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  postal 
service  in  Cuba.  He  will  leave  for  Havana 
in  a  few  days.  A  commission  of  four  experts 
representing  the  office  of  each  of  the  Assis- 
tant Postmasters  General  will  leave  for 
Tampa  at  once,  and  sail  for  Havana  pro- 
bably on  Wednesday.  A  number  of  postal 
employes  will  also  be  dispatched  probably 
on  the  same  steamer.  General  Superinten- 
dent A.  W.  Machen,  of  the  free  delivery 
system,  will  be  one  of  the  commissioners. — 
New   York  Times. 


Our     Monthly    Packets   of 
New     Issues. 


No.  1,  price  One  Shilling  (postage  extra). 

The  February  Packet  contains  : — 
SE  VERAL   VARIE  TIES  all  unused. 

No.  2,  price  Five  Shillings  (postage  extra). 

The  February  Packet  contains  : — 
SEVERAL   VARIETIES,  all  unused. 


These  packets  are  on  sale  until  February  28th(unless 
the  supply  is  previously  exhausted),  and  are  supplied 
only  to  Subscribers  to  the  Philatelic  Record  and 
Stamp  News.  Similar  packets  will  be  on  sale  every 
month,  and  may  be  subscribed  for  in  advance  for  the 
year  (January  to  December  inclusive),  at  the  following 
rates:  No.  1  packet,  12s.,  postage  extra;  No.  2  packet, 
60s.,  postage  extra. 

The  subscription  to  the  paper  (5s.  per  annum)  is 
extra. — Buhl&  Co.,  Ltd.,  n,  Queen  Victoria  St.,  E.C. 


/IllrJfjjJl^-- 


tlM 


Williams  &  Co.,  of  Lima,  Peru. 

Within  the  last  few  weeks  several  warnings 
with  reference  to  this  much-advertised  firm 
have  been  circulated.  A  very  serious  warning 
has  been  issued  by  the  International  Stamp 
Dealers'  Society,  of  Berlin,  which  Mr.  Phillips 
translates  in  the  Monthly  Journal,  but  as  it  has 
been  received  by  us  as  a  confidential  com- 
munication for  members  only,  we  do  not  feel 
justified  in  making  use  of  it.  At  the  same 
time  we  reproduce  the  following  from  the 
Monthly  Journal — 

"As  we  are  going  to  press,  we  hear  as 
ollows  from  a  well-known  Continental 
dealer  : — 

'  What  business  relations  have  you  with 
Williams  &  Co.,  of  Lima  ?  For  your  guidance 
this  party  resides  in  Lima,  in  an  hotel  of  low 
rank,  and  is  a  retired  pugilist.  He  lives 
entirely  by  trickery,  and  says  he  represents 
your  firm  and  the  firm  of  Williams,  of  London. 
I  think  a  stop  must  be  put  to  such  pranks,  and, 
if  you  have  any  interests,  you  should  act 
promptly  in  order  to  protect  them.' 

"  Taking  it  altogether,  we  have  nun  the 
slightest  doubt  but  that  a  colossal  fraud  has 
been  attempted, and,  we  are  afraid,  successfully  ; 
and  we  shall  be  glad  if  any  of  our  readers  who 
have  any  claim  against  this  firm  will  com- 
municate with  us,  sending  us  full  details  of  the 
dates  of  their  consignments,  the  value  of  same, 
and  as  to  whether  applications  have  been  made 
for  their  return.  We  will  then  see  if  any  con- 
certed action  can  be  taken." 

At  the  same  time  we  must  mention  that  our 
publishers  have  inserted  the  advertisements  of 
Williams  &  Co.  in  absolute  good  faith,  in 
common  with  many  other  journals. 

North  Borneo,  perf.  18J. 

Mr.  W.Jacoby  writes,  enclosing  us  a  copy 
of  the  ic.  orange,  North  Borneo,  perf.  18J,  and 
asks  for  some  information  on  the  subject.  We 
regret  we  cannot  inform  Mr.  Tacoby  whether 
this  perforation  is  really  official,  but  we  have 
known  this  one  value  ever  since  the  stamps 
came  into  use.  Of  course  the  ordinary  per- 
foration is  12,  and  it  seems  curious  that  one 
value  only  should  be  found  with  such  a  peculiar 
perforation,  which  we  do  not  recollect  on  any 
other  colonial  stamp.  However,  though  it  is 
not  chronicled,  the  stamp  is  well  known,  but 
it  appears  impossible  to  find  out  whether  it  was 
officially  issued  in  this  state.  Perhaps  some  of 
our  readers  can  enlighten  us  on  the  subject. 

New  Books  on  English. 

Messrs.  William  Brendon  and  Son 
announce  the  publication  of  a  new  edition  of 
Messrs.   Philbrick  &  Westoby's  work  on  the 


Postage  and  Telegraph  Stamps  of  Great 
Britain.  The  price  of  the  first  250  copies 
subscribed  for  will  be  12/-,  after  which  it  will 
be  raised  to  16/6  until  actual  publication,  when 
it  will  be  raised  to  21/-.  We  notice  that  the 
printing  is  not  to  be  commenced  until  200 
copies  have  been  subscribed  for. 

At  the  same  time  the  early  publication  of  the 
long  expected  work  of  the  Philatelic  Society 
of  London  on  the  Postage  and  Telegraph 
stamps  of  Great  Britain  is  also  announced. 
The  price  of  this  will  be  24/-,  and  600  copies 
are  to  be  printed.  It  is  rather  a  pity  that  two 
such  important  works  should  be  announced  at 
the  same  time,  as  we  are  afraid  that  one  will 
clash  more  or  less  with  the  other. 


About    Provisionals. 

In  Le  Philatelist  Francaise,  M.  L.  de 
Noailhac  publishes  an  article  on  the  classifi- 
cation of  Provisional  stamps,  which  he  divides 
nto  eight  headings: 

1.  Value  modified  (or  decreased)  by  sur- 
charge. 

2.  Value  modified  by  more  than  one  sur- 
charge. 

3.  Name  of  country  changed  by  a  surcharge. 

4.  The  value  and  name  of  country  modified 
at  the  same  time  by  a  surcharge. 

5.  Telegraph  stamps  used  poslally. 

6.  Fiscals  used  postally. 

7.  Stamps  cut  in  half  to  replace  others  of 
half  their  value. 

8.  Stamps  of  one  country  used  in  another 
country  without  surcharge. 


Proposed    Postal    Museum. 

From  an  article,  which  appears  in  the  Rcvne 
Philatelique  Francaise  we  notice  that  im- 
portant steps  are  on  foot  with  the  object  of 
inducing  the  Government  to  inaugurate  a 
Postal  Museum  in  Paris  on  the  occasion  of  the 
50th  anniversary  of  the  inauguration  of  the 
Postage  Stamp  in  France.  Several  important 
Government  officials  have  already  expressed 
their  willingness  to  further  the  project,  and  two 
long  and  interesting  letters  have  been  addressed 
to  the  Assistant  Secretary  of  State  of  Posts  and 
Telegraphs,  signed  by  the  following  important 
names : — 

Schoeller. 

Erard  Le  Roy  d'Etiolles. 

Bormoy  d'Evenans. 

Jules  Bernichon. 

Lucien  Gilis. 

Albert  Coyette. 
We  wish  the  project  every  success. 


The  Philatelic  Record 


AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


MARCH,    1899. 


Editorial   Notes. 

THE  forthcoming  Philatelic  Exhibition  at  Manchester  has  again 
suggested  the  idea  of  a  Philatelic  Congress,  on  the  lines  of  the  annual 
gatherings  in  Germany.  As  far  as  we  can  recollect,  no  such  meeting  has 
ever  been  held  in  England,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  this  country 
probably  contains  more  large  collectors  than  any  other.  In  Germany 
w.  ,       the  venue  is  changed  each  year  ;  this  year  it  will  be  Dresden, 

M  h°  f  *n  Juty'  ^ast  year  **  was  Gossnitz,  and  in  1896  it  was  held  at 
a  iYiancnes  er  c0i0gne,  where  several  English  dealers  attended,  and  from 
congress  personal  observations  we  know  that  considerable  business  was 
done.  Representatives  of  all  philatelic  societies,  collectors  and  dealers  attend 
these  gatherings,  which  usually  last  three  days,  the  programme  being  arranged 
to  include,  beyond  the  routine  business  and  speeches,  a  dinner,  a  drive  to  any 
place  of  interest  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  similar  entertainments,  and  a 
large  hall  is  provided  where  all  can  meet  for  business  or  to  "  talk  stamps." 

We  have  often  wondered  why  similar  arrangements  could  not  be  made 
in  this  country,  and  although  we  do  not  wish  to  overburden  the  Manchester 
Executive  with  work,  we  make  the  suggestion  to  them  that  the  time  of  their 
exhibition  would  be  most  opportune.  The  matter  could  be  made  self-support- 
ing, as  in  Germany,  where  tickets  are  sold  to  include  everything.  Two  or 
three  hundred  persons  usually  meet  at  the  Continental  gatherings,  and  many 
new  friendships  are  made,  besides  which  a  considerable  incentive  to  new 
business  is  the  usual  result  for  the  dealer.  Why  not  try  it  ?  We  feel  sure  that 
it  would  afterwards  become  an  annual  affair,  and  Manchester  would  have  the 
credit  of  the  start,  to  be  probably  followed  by  our  other  large  cities,  not 
omitting  the  little  village  where  the  Record  is  published. 


50  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Editorial     Interviews. 


BY     THEODOR     BUHL. 


Mr.  F.   R.  GINN. 

R.  F.  R.  GINN  has  been  prominently  before  the  public  for  some 
years,  not  only  as  a  dealer,  but  as  a  Secretary  of  the  Philatelic 
Protection  Association  (or  P. P.  A.),  which  did  so  much  to  exterminate 
forgeries.  In  his  advertisement  he  styles  his  business  premises  the 
"  Philatelic  Centre  "  (an  irreverent  dealer  refers  to  it  as  the 
"  Hub  "),  and  if  we  are  to  take  the  word  "  centre  "  as  a  question  of  position, 
it  is  well  justified  by  the  situation,  being  on  the  first  floor  just  opposite  the 
Gaiety  Theatre. 

The  business  is  all  conducted  on  the  one  floor.  On  entering  you  find  a 
counter,  with  a  glass  case,  containing  copies  of  albums  and  philatelic 
publications,  amongst  which  we  are  glad  to  see  the  Philatelic  Record  has 
always  a  prominent  place  ;  to  the  right  is  a  large  room  facing  the  Strand, 
where  the  business  is  conducted  by  Mr.  Ginn  and  a  staff  of  employees, 
including  a  younger  brother,  who  bids  fair  to  be  a  good  philatelist.  Partitioned 
from  this  room  is  a  small  ante-room,  also  overlooking  the  main  thoroughfare, 
and  it  was  here  on  a  recent  morning  we  were  received  by  Mr.  Ginn,  who  had 
promised  to  give  us  a  few  facts  regarding  his  business  career. 

It  was  in  June,  1864,  that  our  "subject"  first  saw  the  light,  and  the 
locality  was  Tottenham,  where  he  still  lives,  and  where  the  now  prosperous 
business  was  originally  conducted. 

"  I  commenced  collecting  at  school,  and  bought  and  sold  stamps  there, 
my  first  transactions  being  in  1880,"  said  Mr.  Ginn  ;  thereby  reminding  us 
that  it  is  the  same  story  with  everyone  who  is"  interviewed,  and  showing  the 
necessity  of  encouraging  the  schoolboy  collector  ;  "  but  my  first  actual  launch 
as  a  dealer  was  about  1887  ;  up  to  about  1886  I  was  engaged  in  the  tea  trade 
in  Mincing  Lane,  and  the  transactions  in  stamps  began  to  increase  so 
rapidly  that  it  dawned  upon  me  that  I  should  have  to  devote  my  time  either 
to  tea  or  stamps.  I  chose  the  latter,  gave  up  the  tea  trade,  and  have  never 
regretted  doing  so." 

"At  that  time  you  conducted  your  business  from  your  residence  at 
Tottenham  ?  " 

"  Yes.  It  was  not  until  June,  1894,  that  I  came  to  the  Strand.  These 
offices  had  been  occupied  by  Mr.  Dawson  A.  Vindin,  and  on  his  return  to 
Australia  I  took  the  lease  off  his  hands." 

"What  is  the  principal  part  of  your  business  ?  "  we  asked,  knowing  full 
well  what  the  answer  would  be. 

"  Approval  selections,"  said  Mr.  Ginn,  with  pride,  and  I  believe  I  do  one 
of  the  largest  trades  in  the  world  in  that  line.  My  business  is  principally  by 
post,  but  recently  there  has  been  a  considerable  increase  in  the  cash  trade 
here." 

"  Have  you  any  publications  of  your  own  ?  "  was  our  next 
question,  and  Mr.  Ginn's  reply  was  a  reminder  that  he  publishes  the  cele- 
brated Philatelic  Collecting  Books.  "  I  also  publish  a  small  catalogue  of  stamps 
in  stock,"  he  added,  "giving  prices  for  medium  and  other  stamps  and  sets; 
I  publish  nothing  else,  but  I  sell  other  people's  albums  and  publications." 


0ur    ^crtrait    Qaller^, 


MR.     F.    R.    GINN. 


Editorial    Interviews. 


5i 


"  You  do  no  wholesale  business  ?  " 

"  None  whatever,"  was  the  reply  ;  I  have  quite  enough  to  do  with  the 
retail,  in  my  own  way." 

"  It  is  now  some  time  since  you  purchased  the  celebrated  "  Henderson  " 
collection  ?  " 

"Yes;  I  gave  ^"3,000  for  it,  but  before  that  I  bought  a  large  one  in 
Paris  for  ^"1,500,  and  recently  one  from  India  at  £1,000." 

"  You  have  always  specialized  in  American  stamps  ?"  we  asked,  thinking 
of  Mr.  Ginn's  superb  collection  of  this  country. 

"Yes;  and  my  collection  of  the  United  States  stamps  is  one  of  the 
finest  and  most  complete  in  the  world.  As  you  know,  it  was  awarded  the 
silver  medal  at  the  last  London  Philatelic  Exhibition,  and  I  shall  exhibit  it  at 
Manchester." 

In  interviewing  a  dealer  it  is  the  usual  thing  to  ask  him  how  he  finds 
"  trade,"  and  in  reply  to  our  enquiry,  Mr.  Ginn  was  pleased  to  say  that  trade 
is  now  very  good.  Last  autumn  it  was  very  slack,  but  at  present  there  is  a 
large  increase  in  the  turnover  and  he  expects  it  to  continue. 

"  And  your  opinion  of  the  future  ?  "  we  queried. 

"The  future  is  safe  enough,  but  I  do  not  believe  in  the  "specialist."  I 
believe  in  the  general  collector,  and  as  the  number  of  general  collectors  is  on 
the  increase,  it  is  a  good  sign  for  philately." 

"  And  what  about  auctions  ?     You  do  not  attend  many  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do  now"  said  Mr.  Ginn,  "  I  went  to  a  bad  sale,  bought  a  lot  of 
bargains,  and  since  then  I  attend  most  of  them." 

"  Is  there  anything  you  would  like  to  say  about  the  P. P. A.  and  your 
connection  with  it  while  you  were  Secretary  ?" 

Only  this,  that  I  worked  up  the  Association,  and  when  I  resigned  in 
July,  1895,  I  handed  my  successor  the  sum  of  £\\o  4s.  iod.,  being  the 
balance  in  hand.  He  held  one  meeting,  at  which  he  resigned,  but  what  has 
happened  since  I  don't  know." 

And  we  think  not  only  Mr.  Ginn,  but  others  ought  to  know.  The 
P. P. A.  was  financially  all  right,  and  we  know  of  no  reason  for  its  disappear- 
ance from  the  horizon. 

Just  then  a  well-known  collector  called,  and  we  left,  having  obtained  all 
the  information  we  could  from  the  busy  head  of  the  "  Philatelic  Centre." 


52  The  Philatelic  Record 


Kashmir     Notes. 

By    D.    P.    MASSON. 
(From    the    Indian    Philatelist.) 

I  FEAR  the  readers  of  the  Journal  have  heard  about  enough  regarding  the 
stamps  of  Kashmir,  but  I  cannot  but  send  a  few  stray  notes  on  matters 
that  have  just  come  to  my  knowledge.  For  most  of  the  information  I 
am   indebted    to  Captain    Stuart     H.  Godfrey,    assistant    resident    in 

Kashmir,  who  is  taking  a  deep  interest  in  the  philatelic  matters  of  the 
State,  as  well  as  in  its  more  important  questions. 

Captain  Godfrey,  in  the  course  of  his  investigations,  discovered  the 
engraver  of  all  the  genuine  dies  of  the  Kashmir  rectangular  stamps,  and  in 
this  man's  specimen  book  he  found  proofs  of  all  the  dies,  shewing  them  to  be 
identical  with  the  dies  recently  defaced.  The  proofs  are  all  in  black  ink, 
and  include  a  complete  sheet  (20  half-annas  and  5  one-annas)  of  the  so-called 
1924"*  issue,  or  the  Kashmir  province  plate  of  these  denominations.  Captain 
Godfrey  was  inclined  to  consider  these  proofs  as  genuine  stamps,  but  I 
pointed  out  to  him  that  in  every  case  the  paper  differed  from  that  of  used 
copies ;  and  the  engraver  confirmed  my  view  by  saying  he  had  printed  the 
sheets  himself,  for  his  own  satisfaction,  and  for  the  approval  of  the  Maharaja 
Ranbir  Singh.  Though  these  impressions  must  be  classed  as  essays,  they 
are  both  interesting  and  valuable. 

Other  most  interesting  items  in  the  "find"  were  perforated  proofs  of 
the  half-anna  and  one-anna  stamps  of  the  new  rectangular  (1878)  issue,  prov- 
ing beyond  question  that  some  of  the  anna  sheets  were  perforated  as  well  as 
half-anna  ones.  The  engraver  was  ordered  to  prepare  perforating  machines, 
as  well  as  dies,  for  the  new  issues,  and  the  perforators  were  prepared  for  him 
by  a  "lohar"  of  his  acquaintance.  His  memory  was  somewhat  at  fault,  as 
he  at  first  stated  that  only  one  perforating  machine  was  prepared  ;  but  on  my 
pointing  out — for  Captain  Godfrey  kindly  asked  me  to  be  present  at  the 
interview— that  the  same  machine  could  not  possibly  perforate  rows  of  three 
(as  in  the  half-anna  sheets)  and  rows  of  four  (as  in  the  anna  sheets),  he  at 
once  said  that  two  machines  must  have  been  made.  This  was  undoubtedly 
so,  as  the  perforations  on  the  anna  sheet  are  closer  than  those  on  the  half- 
anna  sheet.  In  explanation  of  the  perforator  not  having  been  more  generally 
used,  the  old  man  said,  with  a  shrug  of  contempt,  that  the  postal  people  could 
not  understand  its  working. 

But  perhaps  the  most  interesting  "find"  of  all,  from  the  old  engraver, 
was  a  "proof"  (original  ?)  of  what  I  daresay  I  am  justified  in  calling 

The  Oldest  Service  (Native  State)  Stamp  of  India. 


*  The  engraver  confirmed  the   information  I  have  already  given  in  my  papers,  that  all 
the  oil  circular  and  rectangular  stamps  bear  the  date  1923. 


Kashmir    Notes. 


53 


The  inscriptions  are  as  follows  : — In  Persian,  khat  zartiri  (urgent  letter)  ; 
in  Shastri,  awa  shakka  pattar  (I  cannot  get  this  translated)  ;  and  in  Dogri, 
kakal  zartiri  (urgent  document).  As  the  inscriptions  show,  the  stamp  was 
used  for  urgent  letters.  A  letter  or  parcel  so  stamped  was  forwarded  urgently, 
by  night  and  day,  passing  from  the  hand  of  one  runner  to  another,  and 
accompanied  by  a  "  time  table  "  to  show  the  hours  it  passed  from  one  tehsil 
to  another.  Having  been  used  only  on  the  Maharaja's  or  State  Service,  it 
may  be  classed  as  a  genuine  service  stamp.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Knowles  informs 
me  he  has  seen  used  specimens.     It  was  printed  in  red. 

By  the  way,  the  designs  on  this  stamp,  on  the  Kashmir  post-cards,  and 
on  many  fiscals  I  have  seen,  confirm  my  view  that  the  central  design  of  the 
old  circular  stamps,  and  the  star  at  the  top  of  the  old  rectangulars,  represent 
a  sun,  and  not  a  lotus  flower. 


Kashmir  Remainders. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Philatelic  Journal  oj  India. 

Dear  Sir, — It  was  recently  announced  in  your  journal  that  the  circular 
Kashmir  stamps  printed  on  thin  European  paper  would  not  in  future  be 
offered  for  sale  by  the  Kashmir  State,  but  apparently  this  is  not  the  case. 

The  Rev.  C.  B.  Simons,  the  Agent  of  the  Kashmir  State  at  Baramula, 
has  just  sent  me  on  approval  ioo  unused  specimens  of  Kashmir  stamps, 
which  include  the  reprints  referred  to.  The  Agent  has  prefixed  the  following 
somewhat  quaintly  worded  note  to  his  specimen  sheets,  so  that  the  purchaser 
is  at  least  candidly  informed  that  he  is  purchasing  at  a  very  high  price  what 
are  nothing  more  than  pure  and  simple  reprints,  many  of  which  have  never 
been  postally  used. 

The  circular  stamps  on  thick  native  laid  paper  are  reprints  in  oil  colours 
from  the  genuine  dies.  I  have  seen  a  few  used  specimens  of  these  reprints  on 
original  covers,  but  it  is  believed  that  these  stamps  were  not  generally  avail- 
able for  sale  to  the  public  at  the  post  offices  in  Kashmir. 

With  regard  to  the  different  shades  of  green,  brown,  red,  etc.,  I  think 
it  is  a  mistake  to  class  the  different  shades  of  the  same  value  as  distinct  speci- 
mens. The  varieties  of  shade  are  simply  due  to  the  colour  having  been  pre- 
pared in  small  quantities,  and  to  no  care  being  taken  to  obtain  the  same  shade 
when  the  next  lot  of  colour  was  mixed  for  use.  Some  of  the  shades  men- 
tioned by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Simons  may  be  rare  in  the  sense  that  there  are  only 
a  few  specimens  left  in  the  Agent's  hands,  but  it  is  probable  that  this  is  due 
to  a  larger  quantity  of  these  particular  shades  having  been  sold  to  the  public, 
and  to  dealers  and  speculators. 

Yours  truly, 

W.  C.  H. 


54 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Notes  for  Primitive    Collectors. 

"i.  The  stamps  (i  to  n)  are  called  circular  stamps.  They  are  im- 
pressed from  the  original  dies,  and  printed  in  oil  colours  on  native  greyish 
laid  paper.  These  specimens  are  of  extreme  rarity.  Many  dealers  do  sell 
this  kind  of  stamp  as  the  genuine  article,  whilst  in  the  end  one  finds  that  they 
differ  in  many  respects,  being  impressed  from  the  so-called  'missing  die,' 
specimens  which  the  State  does  not  wish  to  dispose  off.  Of  these  1877  cir- 
culars only  a  limited  quantity  is  in  stock,  hence  the  price  will  soon  be 
doubled. 

"2.  The  stamps  (12  to  16)  are  circulars  from  the  original  die  on  thin 
European  paper.  These  specimens  were  probably  reprinted  in  1884  for  the 
many  visitors  in  this  country  ;  consequently  they  should  be  considered  as 
'reprints,'  though  undoubtedly  genuine.  In  the  Indian  bazaars  one  meets 
frequently  with  similar  stamps,  but  nearly  all  of  them  are  impressed  from  the 
missing  die,  and  hence  perhaps  forgeries. 

"3.  The  stamps  (17  to  22)  are  called  rectangulars  ;  they  are  impressed 
from  the  original  die,  and  printed  in  oil  colours  on  native  greyish  laid  paper. 
Except  21,  I  have  never  seen  these  rectangulars  'postally'  used,  and  though 
this  fact  does  not  effect  in  the  least  their  being  genuine,  nevertheless  on 
account  of  this  doubt  only,  the  prices  have  been  remarkably  reduced.  Of 
these  only  a  few  are  in  stock. 

"4.  The  stamps  (23  to  25)  are  also  rectangulars,  and  impressed  from 
the  original  die,  but  printed  on  thin  European  paper.  Like  the  circulars  on 
thin  paper,  they  have  never  been  postally  used,  have  probably  been  reprinted 
in  1884,  and  should  therefore  be  classed  as  'reprints.' 

"  5.  The  stamps  (26  to  100)  are  styled  square  stamps,  either  ordinary 
or  service.  Nobody  doubts  or  ever  will  doubt  their  being  genuine.  The 
stamps  (27  to  33)  are  various  shades  of  brown  ;  numbers  34  and  35  are  scarce 
(refer  to  Stanley  Gibbons'  No.  159).  The  numbers  36  to  45  represent  the 
different  shades  of  red.  Between  46  and  50  there  exists  this  difference,  that 
the  former  is  thick  paper,  issued  in  1879  (see  Stanley  Gibbons'  154).  The 
stamps  47  to  49  are  shades  of  olive.  The  stamps  51  to  78  form  a  rare  and 
interesting  collection  of  the  various  shades  of  the  one  anna  green.  No.  79  is 
not  catalogued  in  any  book,  and  very  rare ;  so  is  No.  80.  The  numbers  81 
to  97  need  no  explanation.  The  stamps  98  to  100  are  service  on  yellow 
paper. 

"  6.  The  value  of  all  the  stamps  taken  together  amounts  to  Rs.i  25-14-0. 
However,  if  the  whole  collection  of  100  varieties  is  taken,  price  will  be 
Rs.125." 

When  read  with  the  above  letter,  the  following  advertisement,  extracted 
from  the  Pioneer  of  the  10th  December,  will  hardly  excite  much  enthusiasm: — 

"Kashmir  Stamps! 

"A   SUITABLE  PRESENT  FOR  CHRISTMAS  ! 
"  Complete  sets  of  a  hundred  unused  varieties  at  Rs.125, 
"Smaller  varieties  procurable  at  Rs.25  and  upwards. 
"All  stamps  guaranteed  genuine. 
"Terms  cash  with  order  or  V.-P.  P. 

"Apply  early  to  Rev.  C.  B.  Simons,  Sole  Agent  for 
the  Sale  of  Kashmir  Stamps  by  Special  Appointment  of 
the  Kashmir  State  Council,  at  Baramulla,   Kashmir." 

[Ed.,  P.J.I.} 


Kashmir.  55 


Kashmir. 

MORE    "MISSING    DIES." 

By  D.  P.  Masson. 

(From  the  Indian  Philatelist.) 

OOKING  over  the  collection  of  a  friend  the  other  day,  my  attention 
was  instantly  arrested  by  a  new  type  of  circular  stamp.  I  thought 
that  at  last  I  had  found  the  rare  "  Die  I  ;"  but  alas  !  I  am  again 
doomed  to  disappointment,  as  I  am  informed  by  Captain  Hancock, 
who  knows  Die  I,  that  this  new  discovery  is  a  forgery.  I  bring  it 
immediately  to  the  notice  of  collectors,  because  it  is  very  dangerous  for  the 
uninitiated,  seeing  it  marks  a  step  in  advance  by  the  forger,  it  being  supplied 
with  an  imitation  of  the  magenta  obliteration  of  Jammu,  or  the  brick  one  of 
Srinagar.  No  wonder  Kashmir  stamps  are  in  disfavour,  if  so  many  forgeries 
are  about  :  I  thought  I  had  got  to  the  end  of  my  list  in  my  three  papers  on 
the  old  circular  and  rectangular  stamps. 

I  have  seen  only  the  half-anna  and  four-anna  denominations,  but  no 
doubt  an  anna  stamp  die  also  exists. 

The  four-anna  stamp  is  roughly  engraved,  and  I  have  seen  it  only  in  blue. 
I  take  the  first  Dogra  3 -like  letter  as  my  key,  and  I  place  the  Persian 
character  on  its  left  in  the  position  of  12  o'clock  on  a  watch  dial. 

Four-anna  Stamp. — In  the  forgery,  as  in  that  formerly  described,  the 
stroke  within  the  central  sun  points  in  the  direction  of  i  o'clock  (to  the  left 
of  the  first  Dogra  letter),  whereas  in  the  genuine  die  it  points  to  1.45  (between 
the  first  and  second  Dogra  letters).  The  rays  of  the  central  sun  in  the 
forgery  are  short,  and  exactly  like  the  teeth  of  a  cog-wheel,  and  there  is  a 
slight  space  between  their  ends  and  the  foot  of  the  Dogra  letters.  Taking 
the  first  three  Dogra  letters,  it  will  be  found  that  they  are  compressed  into 
smaller  space  in  the  forgery,  measuring  only  8  mm.  from  what  I  shall  call 
the  abdomen  of  the  first,  to  the  back  of  the  head  of  the  third,  as  against 
g  mm.  on  the  genuine  die.  The  rest  of  the  stamp  in  the  two  specimens  I 
possess  are  so  badly  printed  as  to  make  comparison  with  the  genuine  die 
impossible.  The  colour  (blue)  is  a  very  fair  imitation  of  that  of  some  of  the 
genuine  stamps. 

Half-anna  Stamp. — This  die  is  very  well  cut.  The  central  sun  again 
resembles  a  cogwheel.  The  first  Dogra  letter  is  a  perfect  figure  3,  the  upper 
and  lower  limbs  being  about  the  same  shape,  whereas  in  the  genuine  die  the 
lower  loop  is  crooked  up,  and  does  not  project  as  far  as  the  upper.  The 
second  Dogra  letter  is  straight-backed  instead  of  bent-backed ;  the  left  one 
of  the  three  central  strokes,  instead  of  being  slightly  curved,  is  comma- 
shaped,  and  the  central  and  right-hand  strokes,  instead  of  being  parallel, 
would  meet  on  its  outer  edge  of  the  central  sun  if  prolonged.  I  have  the 
half-anna  stamp  in  three  colours  :  (1)  blue,  like  the  4-anna  one,  (2)  what  is 
meant  to  be  black,  but  is  really  a  dark  brown,  and  (3)  a  dull  red. 

Well  printed  copies  of  either  forgery  can  be  detected  by  the  two 
encircling  rings  ;  in  the  genuine  die  the  outer  ring  is  light,  the  inner  heavy  ; 
in  the  forgery  the  outer  ring  is  heavy,  and  the  inner  so  light  that  it  sometimes 
prints  a  dotted  circle. 


56  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Fiasco   of  the  S.S.S.S. 

(From  the  Indian  Philatelist). 
By    DAK. 
So  they  hunted  and  they  hallo'd  till  the  settin'  of  the  sun, 

An'  they'd  nawt  to  bring  away  at  last  when  the  huntin'  day  was  done, 
So  one  unto  the  other  said  this  huntin'  doesn't  pay  ; 

But  we've  footled  up  an'  down  a  bit  an'  had  a  rattlin'  day.     Look  ye  there. 

Old  Song  Re-set. 

THE  "  four  S'd  league  "  is  moribund,  if  indeed  it  has  not  already  ended 
an  inglorious  career,  and  few  will  regret  its  final  disappearance.     For 
three  or  four  years   it  has  proved  an  object  lesson  in  vacillation  and 
incapacity  probably  without  parallel    in   the  experience  of  any  public 
body  associated  for    philatelic  advancement,  either  past  or  present. 
The  evils   it    was  self-created   to  suppress  remained,  and  its  exit  from  the 
scene  without  even  the   semblance  of  a  farewell  is  perhaps    the  best  thing 
known  to  its  credit. 

From  its  commencement  the  Society  asked  for  the  confidence  of  col- 
lectors. Its  request  was  very  generally  complied  with.  It  was  welcomed 
and  advertised,  and  we  were  prepared  to  respect  its  rulings  and  follow  its 
lead. 

"What  a  good  thing  it  is  for  you  you've  some  one  to  help  you  at  last " 
was  its  tone,  and  the  help  took  the  form  of  advertising  far  and  wide  the  little 
weaknesses  inherent  in  our  pursuit  to  a  Philistine  world  that  enjoyed  the 
revelations.  "  We've  got  skeletons  in  our  cupboard — lots  of  them  !  "  said 
the  S.S.S.S.  "  Come  and  look  !  "  and  the  world  gazed,  and  was  duly 
impressed. 

But  the  S.S.S.S.  is  gone,  and  a  long  trail  of  more  or  less  feeble  witti- 
cisms in  countless  stamp  papers  mark  its  tortuous  course  for  the  puzzlement 
of  future  philatelic  students  and  historians  ;  otherwise  there  is  little  to 
redeem  its  memory  from  an  oblivion  well  deserved.  Federation,  fizzle,  and 
fiasco  symbolize  its  birth,  its  career,  and  its  ending.  May  we  never  look 
upon  its  like  again. 

The  lessons  of  the  fiasco  are  many — too  many  for  enumeration  here. 
That  we  philatelists  are  powerless  to  work  together  for  good  is  perhaps  one 
of  them,  though  it  is  by  no  means  certain  but  that  had  we  but  been  favoured 
with  more  masterful  officers  in  the  recent  "  crusade  "  the  results  might  not 
have  been  more  encouraging.  Another  lesson  is  that  the  London  Society,  as 
at  present  constituted,  is  hardly,  from  its  nature,  the  best  "cabinet,"  so  to 
speak,  for  the  direction  of  philatelic  politics  as  apart  from  philatelic  research. 
In  the  meanwhile  we  must  proceed  as  well  as  we  can,  which  means 
that  we  shall  probably  get  along  very  well  indeed.  A  "  Rock."  after  all  is 
said  and  done,  may  be  but  a  mirage.  We  have  but  to  bring  ourselves  to  see 
that  speculative  stamps  have  been,  are,  and  (while  human  nature  remains  as 
it  is)  will  be,  and  that  no  philatelic  plague  regulations,  nor  philatelic  pills  for 
earthquakes,  will  ever  successfully  uproot  them.  Superficial  and  not  even 
skin-deep  blemishes  on  our  pursuit,  it  is  after  all  our  own  fault  if  we  let  them 
do  us  any  lasting  harm. 

The  whole  trouble  about  speculative  stamps  may  be  safely  left  to  be 
dealt  with  by  the  press  and  the  catalogue.  The  former  should  (and  will) 
throw  all  the  light  possible  upon  the  origin,  nature,  and  other  facts  con- 
cerning all  stamps  issued,  speculative  or  otherwise.  The  latter  should  con- 
tent itself  with  chronicling  all  stamps  of  recognised  Governments,  whatever 


The  Fiasco  of  the  S.S.S.S.  57 

the  duration  of  the  life  of  the  stamps,  classing  commemorative,  hospital,  or 
other  short-lived  special  issues  apart  from  the  general  issues  of  each  country. 

If  the  catalogue  and  album  compiler  contented  himself  with  doing  this, 
the  exigencies  of  the  situation  arising  out  of  the  creation  of  undesirable 
but  inevitable  and  legitimate  labels  would  be  adequately  met.  He  should 
catalogue  all  stamps  issued,  and  not  descant  upon  the  lack  of  value  to 
collectors  of  certain  issues,  nor  yet  ignore  such  issues  entirely.  In  the  Phila- 
telists Supplement  to  the  Bazaar  (9th  November),  for  instance,  in  "  Westoby's 
Stamps  of  Europe  "  (of  which  work  it  is  difficult  to  speak  too  highly),  the 
St.  Anthony  and  Vasco  da  Gama  series  of  Portugal  are  rightly  classed  under 
the  sub-head  of  "Commemorative  Stamps,"  as  the  compiler  would  have 
fallen  short  of  his  duty  had  he  failed  to  record  these  ephemeral  issues  of  an 
important  European  Government;  but  while  placing  them  under  their  correct 
sub-head  he  goes  out  of  his  way  to  stigmatise  the  beautiful  Vasco  da  Gama 
series  as  "  rubbish,"  in  which  remark  countless  philatelists  of  long  experi- 
ence will  fail  to  concur.  It  is  the  province  of  the  cataloguer  to  properly 
classify  all  the  issues  of  a  country  whatever  his  personal  feelings  may  be  as 
to  their  actual  necessity,  just  as  it  is  the  duty  of  a  magistrate  to  administer 
the  law  as  it  stands  without  regard  to  his  private  opinion  concerning  its 
abstract  justice.  It  is  not  the  duty  of  the  catalogue  compiler  to  sit  in  judg- 
ment upon  the  stamps  he  lists,  any  more  than  it  is  the  duty  of  the  magis- 
trate to  criticise  or  condemn  from  the  bench  the  law  with  the  provisions  of 
which  he  may  entirely  disagree. 

The  frequent  issue  of  unpriced  uniform  handbook-catalogues  for  the 
whole  world  on  the  lines  of  "  Westoby's  Europe "  would  do  more  than  a 
score  of  amateur  and  irresponsible  "suppression  "  societies  in  as  many  years 
towards  the  educational  aid  of  collectors,  and  the  defence  and  upraising  of 
Philately  from  the  quagmire  of  mere  commercialism. 


The  i^-anna  Postage  Stamp  of 

India. 

(From  the  Indian  Philatelist.) 

'HIS  stamp  was  asked  for  in  1880  to  meet  the  demand  for  a  single  stamp 
to  represent  the  single  rate  for  newspapers,  books  and  samples  to  the 
United  Kingdom  at  that  time.  The  first  supply  arrived  in  October  or 
November,  1881,  and  began  to  be  issued  to  the  public  in  January, 
1882.  There  was  a  moderate  demand  for  these  stamps  (nearly  half 
a  million  annually)  till  1892,  when  the  initial  packet  postage  rate  to  the  United 
Kingdom  was  reduced  to  ^  anna.  Since  then  the  demand  for  this  stamp  has 
been  very  trifling,  and  it  has  now  been  decided  to  do  away  with  it  altogether. 
About  six  millions  of  the  stamps  have  been  printed,  of  which  about  half  a 
million  still  remain.  These  will  be  got  rid  of  in  the  ordinary  way  of  postal 
business,  but  no  more  will  be  ordered.  From  January,  1899,  the  stamp  will 
be  withdrawn  from  the  official  list  of  postage  stamps,  but  it  will  not  be 
demonetised.  Of  course  it  follows  that  no  more  i|--anna  stamps  will  be 
surcharged  for  the  use  of  Native  States.  Up  to  date  Chamba  and  Jhind  have 
taken  but  few,  and  Faridkot  none.  Gwalior  and  Patiala  have  had  large 
numbers,  and  Nabha  14,900.  They  will  all  soon  be  obsolete,  when  those  of 
the  Chamba  and  Jhind  States  will  be  rare. 


58  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Turkish   Postal  Service. 

(From  a  correspondent  of  the  Philatelic    World). 

ON  account  of  Emperor  William's  trip  to  the  Holy  Land  a  German  post 
office  has  been  established  at  Jaffa,  which  it  is  understood  will  remain 
there  permanently.  At  the  present  time  the  same  stamps  are  used 
there  as  in  the  German  post  office  of  Constantinople,  the  German 
stamps  of  the  current  issue  with  the  surcharge  in  piastres  and  paras. 
It  is  curious  enough  that  Turkey  should  permit  such  a  large  number  of 
foreign  post  offices  in  her  own  territory,  but  this  custom  has  become  prevalent 
on  account  of  the  entire  irresponsibility  of  the  Turkish  mails  and  the  care- 
lessness of  Turkish  post  officials.  All  the  large  cities  of  the  Orient  have 
foreign  post  offices,  and  even  the  native  merchant  employs  them  in  preference 
to  his  country's  mail  service.  A  short  description  of  my  experience  in  Syria 
may  explain  matters  more  fully  :  "  The  European  mail  arrives  in  Jerusalem 
two  or  three  times  a  week  ;  this  fact  is  announced  by  criers,  and  great  com- 
motion can  be  noticed  among  the  population.  Whoever  expects  letters 
hurries  upon  the  open  square  in  front  of  the  Turkish  post  office.  After 
waiting  for  a  long  while  patiently,  the  window  opens,  and  the  dignified  old 
postmaster  reads  aloud  the  addresses  of  the  letters  that  have  arrived. 
Whenever  anybody  cries  out  '  here,'  the  postmaster  throws  the  letter  with 
unerring  aim  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd  in  the  direction  of  where  the 
'here'  was  heard.  The  receiver  of  the  letter,  postal  card  or  newspaper  is 
supposed  to  catch  his  mail  on  the  fly.  The  novice  at  first  crumples  his  mail  in 
the  catching,  but  soon  he  learns,  and  gets  use  to  this  method  of  delivery. 
Letter  carriers  are  unknown  in  Turkey  with  but  few  exceptions.  When 
nobody  is  there  to  receive  arriving  letters,  they  are  placed  in  a  glass  case  in 
front  of  the  post  office,  where  they  may  be  called  for  at  certain  hours.  And 
even  for  this  service  the  people  must  be  thankful,  for  it  is  better  than  none  at 
all! 

"  While  I  was  in  Syria  I  often  had  to  use  the  Turkish  mails.  Once  I  asked 
for  letters  I  expected,  and  was  told  to  pick  it  out  from  a  clothes  basket  full  of 
letters  standing  in  one  corner,  and  that  after  I  had  been  waiting  an  hour  for  the 
postmaster  to  put  in  an  appearance.  At  Bethlehem  I  entered  the  Turish  post 
office  to  buy  some  postals,  and  asked  for  them,  '  But,  shining  light  of  the  West,' 
the  postal  effendi,  a  venerable  white-bearded  Turk  replied  :  '  Why  doest  thou 
use  postal  cards  for  thy  correspondence  ?  Do  write  letters.  You  can  tell  more, 
and  everybody  cannot  read  what  you  say  as  upon  an  open  post  card.'  '  I  have 
but  little  to  write,'  I  said, '  and  cards  will  do  me  very  well.'  '  But,  my  beautiful 
turtle  dove,  you  are  not  one  of  those  poor  people,  who  are  compelled  to  write 
on  postal  cards  for  their  cheapness.  Will  you  not  rather  write  nice  letters  ? 
When  I  insisted  energetically  upon  being  given  postals  the  postmaster  said 
meekly  :  '  Much  respect  stranger,  I  would  like  to  sell  you  postals,  but  I  can- 
not do  so  !  '  '  And  why  not  ?  '  '  Because  I  have  none  ;  I'm  all  out  of  them. 
If  you  have  to  have  them  you  will  have  to  go  to  Jerusalem  ;  they  may  have 
some  left  there  !  '  Since  I  did  not  care  to  take  a  day's  ride  for  the  sake  of  a 
few  postals  I  bought  stamps,  of  course,  and  wrote  letters,  receiving  into  the 
bargain  the  blessings  of  the  effendi,  who  wished  me  a  happy  voyage  through 
Syria.  Syria  has  but  a  few  post  offices,  and  the  interior  is  reduced  to  a 
unique  service,  that  of  ambulant  postmen.  A  travelling  official  passes  over  a 
given  road. every  fortnight  or  so,  making  regular  stops  at  certain  appointed 
places.     He  has  all  the  letters  for  the  district  in  a  large  sheet,  tied  by  the  four 


The  Turkish  Postal  Service.  59 

corners.  Arriving  at  one  of  his  stations  he  simply  spreads  out  his  cloth,  lays 
his  letters  face  up,  and  begins  to  read  the  addresses  of  the  letters  for  the  dis- 
trict. These  people,  mostly  Arabs,  can  seldom  read,  and  pay  the  postman  a 
small  amount  for  his  trouble  in  reading  their  letters  to  them.  Often  they 
also  have  him  write  the  reply  for  a  similar  consideration.  These  postal 
clerks,  although  engaged  by  the  Turkish  Government,  seldom  receive  their 
wages,  and  depend  almost  entirely  upon  their  side-earnings  of  this  character. 
Moreover,  they  forward  messages  from  town  to  town  at  the  same  rates  as  the 
Government,  that  is,  they  collect  fees  for  forwarding  letters,  but  do  not  pre- 
pay postage  or  turn  in  a  penny.  I  received  a  message  in  the  interior  of 
Syria,  which  necessitated  my  telegraphing  home.  At  the  post  office  where  I 
entered  the  telegram  (in  Damascus,  the  sender  of  the  telegraphic  message  is 
required  to  enter  the  telegram,  the  number  of  words,  and  the  amount  to  be 
paid  for  it  into  a  book  laying  on  the  counter,  so  as  to  prevent  the  officials 
from  defrauding  the  Government),  the  clerk  in  charge  begged  me  not  to  enter 
the  despatch.  When  I  replied  that  I  would  have  to  enter  it,  as  this  was  the 
only  way  I  could  rely  on  having  the  message  forwarded,  the  clerk  entreated 
me  in  the  most  plaintive  terms  :  '  Oh,  my  good  sir,  I  have  five  hungry  chil- 
dren, and  for  more  than  six  months  the  Government  has  not  paid  me  a  cent 
of  my  salaty.  Do  take  pity  on  me,  and  don't  enter  that  amount.  Your  mes- 
sage will  arrive  promptly,  anyway.'  I  did  as  he  begged  me,  and  had  a  reply 
inside  of  seven  hours,  the  quickest  service  I  ever  had  in  Turkey.  Friends  in 
Syria  tell  me  that  telegrams  between  cities  sometimes  take  five  days  or  a  week. 
When  in  the  Orient  one  soon  learns  to  be  patient  with  the  mails.  When  stormy 
weather  prevails,  at  Jaffa  it  is  impossible  to  land  the  mail  or  passengers, 
and  the  steamer  continues  on  the  way  to  Beirout.  Then  the  mail  is  either 
returned  with  the  next  steamer  down  the  coast  from  Beirout,  or  it  is  for- 
warded overland,  which  takes  much  longer  as  a  rule.  When  I  once  asked  for 
my  mail  in  Damascus,  the  postmaster  told  me,  with  an  injured  air,  '  Why, 
my  dear  sir,  you've  only  had  letters  here  last  week  !  And  here  you  are  ask- 
ing again.' 

"  Matters  are  best  illustrated,  however,  by  the  condition  of  things  at 
Jerusalem.  There  is  quite  a  large  transient  population  there  ;  tourist  and 
pilgrims  come  there  during  the  entire  year,  yet,  outside  of  the  boxes  within 
the  Turkish  and  Austrian  post  offices,  there  is  not  one  single  letter-box  in 
the  entire  city." 


6o 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia, 


C.  FORBES  (Secretary  and  Librarian,  the  Central  Philatelic  Club). 
(Continued  from  tage  37.) 


TvrE  of  1875  Issue. 


Type  of  1S70  Issue. 

1875  issue. 
Design:  Printed  in  Teheran,  from  the  same  plates  as  the    1870  issue, 
but  values  indicated  by  an  Arabic  figure  under  the  belly  of  the  Lion. 
Paper :  Thick  white  wove. 
Imperforate. 

I  Shahi,  black 


Variety — 


grey  black 

blue 

ultramarine 

dark  blue 

vermilion 

red 

dull  red 

green 

light  green 

yellow  green 


8  Shahi,  yellow  green  [Tele  Bcche). 


Jagged  edge  perforations,  made  with  a  penknife - 


Rouktted — 


Shahi,  black 

,,  grey  black 

,,  blue 

,,  ultramarine 

,,  red 

„  vermilion 

,,  green 

,,  yellow  green 


Shahi,  grey  black 
,,     blue 

ultramarine 
light  blue 
vermilion 
red 
green 
yellow  green 

These  stamps  were  printed  in  horizontal  rows  of  four,  and,  as  there  were 
only  four  dies  used  for  each  value,  a  strip  of  four  constitutes  a  plate. 

The  figures  of  value  were  inserted  by  hand,  and,  as  they  differ  slightly 
from  one  another,  Ave  consequently  get  four  type  or  die  varieties  to  each 
value  ;  for  future  reference  we  will  call  these  varieties  Dies  A,  B,  C,  and  D. 

The  figures  were  inserted  for  two  reasons,  to  prevent  the  fraudulent 
use  of  the.  1870  issue  and  to  more  easily  distinguish  the  four  values  from  each 
other ;  the  colours  also  were  purposely  changed  for  the  same  reasons. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  61 

Note. — With  reference  to  the  perforations  to  be  found  on  this  and  the  later 
printings,  made  in  the  early  part  ot  1876,  I  would  call  the  attention  of  my 
readers  to  the  letter  from  Mr.  Riederer  to  the  Neue  Freie  Presse  at  Vienna 
(No.  2)  in  the  February  article,  page  35,  in  which  he  states  that  first  the 
stamps  were  issued  imperforate,  secondly  they  were  separated  by  means  of  a 
penknife,  and  last  that  by  means  of  a  machine  of  his  own  invention  he 
succeeded  in  roughly  rouletting  them,  and  this  so-called  machine  was  simply 
a  short  steel  rule,  with  teeth  cut  like  a  comb;  thus  we  get — 1st,  stamps 
issued  imperforate — 2nd,  with  a  very  jagged  edge,  separated  with  a  penknife — 
3rd,  a  rough  roulette. 

The  writer  has  also  stamps  in  his  collection  in  which  the  strips  have 
been  simply  folded  over  between  the  stamps  and  separated  by  hand;  also 
specimens  showing  double  cuts  where  they  have  been  divided  by  means  of 
ordinary  scissors. 

1876  issue. 
In  1876,  whilst  waiting  for  the  new  series  ot  stamps,  which  were  being 
printed  in  Vienna,  through  Mr.  Riederer,  by  order  of  the  Persian  officials,  they 
ran  short  of  stamps,  and  were  forced  to  again  resort  to  the  old  plates;  we  get, 
however,  two  new  values  added  to  the  series  in  this  issue. 

Pafer :  Thin  white  wove,  printed  in  horizontal  and  vertical  rows  and 
blocks  of  four ;  the  grouping  of  the  four  die  varieties  are  not  in  all 
cases  in  the  same  order  as  those  of  the  1875  issue. 

Imperforate. 
Values. 

1  Shahi,  black 

1  ,,     grey  black 

2  ,,     blue 

2  ,,  pale  blue 

4  •>  red 

4  „  vermilion 

8  ,,  yellow  green 

8  ,,  green 

Rouktted. — Jagged  edge  perforations,  done  with  a  penknife. 

1  Shahi,  grey  black 

2  „     blue 
4       .»     red 

4       ,,     dull  red 
1  Kran,  carmine 
4       ,,     yellow 
4       ,,     orange 
Rou letted  (with  steel  rule). 

1  Shahi,  grey  black 

2  ,,     blue 
4       >>     red 

8       ,,     yellow  green 
1  Kran,  carmine 
4       ,,     orange 


Varieties — 


Errors  of  colour. 
2  Shahi,  black  instead  of  blue 
1  Kran,  yellow  instead  of  carmine 
Printed  on  both  sides. 
1  Shahi,  black 
1       ,,     grey  black 
4       ,,     vermilion 
4       ,,     red 
1  Kran,  carmine 
1       ,,     red 
4       ,,     yellow 
4       ,,     orange 
Tite  Beche. 
4  Kran,  yellow 


62  The   Philatelic   Record. 


Laid  Paper. 
Imperforate. 

i  Shahi,  black 
i       ,,     grey  black 
4       „     red 
i  Kran,  carmine 
4       ,,     orange 
4       ,,     yellow 
The  stamps  of  this  issue  of  the  values  of  i   Kran  and  4  Kran  were 
printed  from  the  same  dies  as  the  1  and  4  Shahi,  the  only  difference  being 
in  their  colours.     You  therefore  get  the  same  varieties  in  the  figures  of  value 
in  the  1  and  4  Kran  as  are  shown  on  the  plates  of  the  1  and  4  Shahi. 

Note. — As  the  stamps  of  the  1875  and  1876  issues  were  printed  by 
hand  from  the  dies  we  get  many  minor  varieties,  caused  through  careless 
printings ;  for  instance,  many  of  the  stamps  show  traces  of  thumb  marks, 
caused  through  the  stamps  being  touched  by  the  fingers  before  being  dried. 
Many  other  minor  varieties  exist ;  the  various  shades  of  colour  and  the 
different  kinds  of  paper  used  were  all  caused  through  the  same  careless 
printing.  No  paper  was  ever  stocked  ;  this  was  bought  at  the  bazaars  simply 
as  required,  and  whether  the  paper  used  was  wove,  laid,  thin  or  thick,  did 
not  trouble  the  Persian  printers  much.  The  same  thing  also  happened  with 
reference  to  the  various  shades  of  colours  found ;  in  mixing  the  inks  for  printing 
very  little  trouble  was  taken  by  them  to  see  that  they  were  the  correct  shade. 
Although  we  must  admit  that  the  Austrian  adviser,  Mr.  Riederer,  did  all  that 
lay  in  his  power  to  have  the  stamps  properly  and  correctly  printed,  it  is  as 
well  to  point  out  the  chief  causes  of  the  various  varieties  found  in  this  issue, 
as  many  have  the  idea  that  they  are  due  to  speculation  or  jobbery.  This 
view  of  the  question  is,  however,  quite  a  mistake ;  it  was  simply  the  wretched 
system  they  had  in  use  at  that  time  to  print  stamps. 


Third  issue,  August,  1876. 

An  entirely  new  issue  was  brought  out  in  this  month.  The  stamps 
were  printed  in  Vienna  by  the  Austrian  Government,  from  a  design  suggested 
by  the  Shah  and  approved  of  by  Mr.  Riederer. 

Design. — The  head  of  the  Shah  Nasr-ed-deen,  in  a  circle,  surrounded  by 
a  coloured  border,  the  other  portions  being  filled  in  by  a  netted  groundwork. 
Typographed,  size  19  x  24  mms. 
Paper:  White  wove. 
Perforated. 
Values:  1,  2,  5,  and  10  Shahi. 

Perf.  10J. 

1  Shahi,  black  and  mauve. 

5       ..  ,,       11     rose. 

10    ,,  ,,       ,,     blue. 

Perf.  12. 

1  Shahi,  black  and  mauve. 

2  ,,  ,,        ,,     green. 
5      ..           11        1.     rose. 
10    ,,  ,,       ,,     blue. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 


63 


Perf.  12J. 

1  Shahi,  black  and  mauve. 

2  ,,  ,,        ,,     green. 
5      ..          >>        1.     rose. 
10    ,,          „        ,,     blue. 

Perf.   1 3 . 

1  Shahi,  black  and  mauve. 

2  ,,  ,,        ,,     green. 
5      ..          ».        ..     rose. 
10    ,,          ,,        „     blue. 

Perf.  12  x  io£  or  10J  by  12. 

1  Shahi,  black  and  mauve. 
5      ,1  >■        .1     rose. 

10    .,  ,,        ,,     blue. 

Perf.  12J  x  13. 

2  Shahi,  black  and  mauve. 
5      ,.  ,.        ..     rose. 
10    ,,          ,,        ,,     blue. 

(To  be  continued.) 


64 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


U.S.  Periodicals. 

Official  Notice. 
Sale   of   Newspaper  and   Periodical   Stamps. 


Post  Office  Department, 
Office  of  Third  Ass't  Postmaster-General, 

Washington,  D.  C,  Feb.  4,  1899. 

TP^r  NNOUNCEMENT  is  hereby  made  that,  in  compliance  with  numerous 

■  1       requests  made  to  the  Postmaster-General  by  collectors  and  others, 

g\      enough  of    the  newspaper  and  periodical    stamps    lately   in    use    by 

-*-  -**     Postmasters  to  make  up  50,000  complete  sets  have  been  reserved 

by  the  Department  for  sale,  and  that   on  and  after  the  15th  instant 

they  may  be  had  of  postmasters  at  first-class  post  offices,  or  upon  application 

to  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster-General,  at  the  rate  of  five  dollars  a  set — 

the  set  consisting  of  one  each  of  the  following  denominations:— One,  two, 

five,   ten,   twenty-five,  and  fifty  cents,  and  two,  five,  ten,  twenty,  fifty,  and 

one  hundred  dollars.     When  applications  are  made  by  mail,  the  money  to 

pay  for  the  stamps  must  accompany  the  order,  with  ten  cents  additional  to 

pay  for  postage  and  registry  fee  on  the  returned  packet. 

Not  less  than  a  full  set  will  in  any  case  be  sold  ;  but  as  many  more  whole 
sets  as  may  be  wanted  can  be  bought.  When  two  sets  or  more  are  desired, 
any  or  all  of  the  several  denominations  may  be  had  in  an  unsevered  con- 
dition ;  that  is  to  say,  in  strips  not  exceeding  ten  stamps  each,  or  in  blocks 
of  four  or  more.  The  Department,  however,  cannot  require  postmasters  to 
segregate,  for  the  accommodation  of  purchasers,  marginal  strips  of  stamps 
bearing  plate  numbers ;  nor  can  any  guarantee  be  given  that  the  stamps  shall 
be  perfectly  "centered."  It  must  also  be  understood  that  the  stamps  are  not 
good  for  postage,  and  that  after  their  purchase  they  cannot  be  redeemed  or 
exchanged  for  others  by  the  Government. 

The  sale  of  these  stamps  will  continue  up  to  the  31st  December  next, 
unless  the  stock  is  sooner  disposed  of ;  but  no  more  than  the  50,000  sets  will 
be  sold,  and  no  more  will  hereafter  be  printed — in  fact,  the  working  plates 
from  which  the  stamps  were  printed  will  shortly  be  destroyed. 

The  newspaper  and  periodical  stamps  of  a  former  issue — of  which 
fragmentary  lots  have  been  returned  to  the  Department  by  postmasters — 
will  not  be  sold,  but,  together  with  the  stock  of  the  last  issue  returned  in 
excess  of  the  50,000  reserved  sets,  will  all  be  destroyed. 

JOHN  A.  MERRITT, 

Third  Assistant  P.  M.  General. 


Notable  Stamp  Exhibit. 


65 


Notable    Stamp    Exhibit. 

By  the  Section  on  Philately,  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Art  and 

Sciences. 
Philately  Recognized  as  a  Science. 


The  year  1898    marks   a  new   and  most 
important  epoch  in  philately,   that  is,  the 
study,   collection  and  preservation  of  post- 
age   and     revenue    stamps,     and    stamped 
envelopes.       This     subject,    which     many 
people  have    imagined   only   a  schoolboy's 
hobby,  has  received  the  serious  thought  and 
earnest  support  ot  students  in  all  parts  of 
the    civilised     world,     having     among     its 
devotees,     artists,    scientists,    theologians, 
financiers,    soldiers,   and    statesmen,    Pope 
Leo  XIII.,  the  Czar  of  Russia,    Queen   of 
Holland,    King   of  Siam,    Duke    of    York, 
Baron  Rothschild,  Count  Th.    Von  Ferrary 
of      Paris,     the     well-known     Americans, 
William  Thorne,  Esq.,  of  New  York,    and 
F.  W.  Ayer,  Esq.,  of  Bangor,   Maine,  being 
among  the  most  ardent  collectors.      It  con- 
duces to  extensive  research  in  geography, 
history,  and  political  science,  as  is  indicated 
by  acquisitions  of  new  territory,  accessions 
of  sovereigns  to  power,  and  changes  in  the 
monetary  systems  of  countries,   oftentimes 
necessitating    an     entirely     new     issue     of 
stamps,  varied  in  colour,  design,  and  value. 
During  the  past  summer,  the  Trustees  of 
the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
— an    institution     established      "  For     the 
People,   by   the    People,"    of    the    highest 
standing     among     scientific     societies   the 
world   over — had   under   consideration    the 
application  of  the  Long    Island    Philatelic 
Society  to  join  the  Institute.     The  import- 
ance of  the  study  and  preservation  of  post- 
age stamps  was  laid  before  the  trustees  in  a 
clear  and  concise  manner  by  the  members 
of  the  Society,  and  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion and  thorough  discussion  of  the  merits 
of  the  subject,  the  trustees  were  convinced 
that   philately   is  a   study   of    the    highest 
educational  value,  alike  to  young  and  old, 
and  one  worthy  to  be  classed  with  the  arts 
and  sciences,  and  they  unanimously  decided 
to  form  a  department,  to  be  known  as  the 
"Section  on  Philately." 

To  commemorate  the  recognition  of 
philately  as  a  scientific  study,  and  its  classi- 
fication as  a  science — a  recognition  which 
philatelists  over  all  the  world  have  been 
seeking  for  years — the  section  on  philately 
of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  has  decided  to 
give  a  public  exhibition  of  postage  and 
revenue  stamps,  and  stamped  envelopes,  at 
the  Art  Rooms  of  the  Institute,  174,  Monta- 
gue Street,  Brooklyn,  N.Y.,  from  March 
iSth,  1899,  to  March  31,  1S99. 

The  exhibition  will  be  open  on  week  days 
from  10a.m.  to  11  p.m.,  and  on  Sundays  from 
2  p.m.  to  6  p.m. 

The  formal  opening  of  the  exhibition  will 


take  place  on  Saturday  evening,  March 
1 8th,  1899,  at  which  only  members  of  the 
Section  and  invited  guests  will  be  present  ; 
all  other  days  and  evenings  will  be  open  to 
the  public. 

A  special  day  (Saturday,  March  25th) 
will  be  set  aside  for  the  school  children  of 
Brooklyn;  packets  of  postage  stamps  will 
be  distributed  ;  competent  persons  versed 
on  the  subject  will  be  present  to  talk  about 
stamp  collecting,  and  thus  arouse  among 
them  an  interest  in  this  valuable  pastime. 

Various  awards  and  medals  will  be  offered 
for  competition. 

Information  concerning  classes,  awards, 
rules  and  regulations  governing  the  exhibi- 
tion can  be  had  by  applying  to  John  D. 
Carberry,  Secretary  Exhibition  Committee, 
1206,  Brunswick  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

It  has  been  decided  that  no  fee  shall  be 
charged  for  admission,  and  all  persons  inter- 
ested in  this  most  fascinating  pursuit  are 
invited  to  view  the  Exhibition. 

Desiring  to  further  the  interests  of  phil- 
ately, the  members  of  the  Section  are  mak- 
ing a  large  and  valuable  collection  of  the 
stamps  of  the  world,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Curator,  for  the  museum  of  the 
Institute,  which  is  always  open  to  the 
public  ;  and  are  also  establishing  a  perman- 
ent philatelic  library  for  the  preservation  of 
literature  for  the  use  of  philatelists  in  search 
of  complete  knowledge  on  the  subject ;  and 
to  this  end  contributions  of  stamps  and  phil- 
atelic literature  are  earnestly  solicited. 

The  members  of  the  Section  are  most 
untiring  and  persistent  workers,  and  their 
efforts  to  elevate  philately  to  the  plan  of  a 
science,  and  to  increase  its  popularity, 
deserve  to  be  crowned  with  success. 
Prospectus. 
The  exhibition  will  be  formally  opened 
March  18th,  1899,  at  8  p.m.,  and  will  be 
open  free  to  the  public  Sundays,  from  2 
p.m.  until  6  p.m.,  and  week-days  from 
10  a.m.  to  10  p.m.,  from  Sunday,  March 
19th,  to  Friday,  March  31st  inclusive,  at  the 
art  rooms  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  174,  Montague  Street, 
Brooklyn,.  N.Y. 

The  art  rooms  of  the  Institute  are 
specially  adapted  for  the  exhibition  of  art 
treasures,  and  have  the  advantage  of  good 
light  without  danger  from  exposure  to  the 
sun's  rays. 

Night  and  day  watchmen  will  be  em- 
ployed, and  every  possible  precaution  will 
be  taken  to  secure  exhibits  from  damage  or 
loss,  but  neither  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee nor  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts 


66 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


and  Sciences  will  assume  any  liability  for 
loss  or  damage. 

The  following  rules  and  regulations 
govern  the  exhibit  and  exhibitors,  and  all 
exhibitors  must  conform  and  be  subject  to 
these  rules  and  regulations. 

The  intent  of  the  exhibit  is  not  so  much 
its  completeness  as  the  benefits  derived 
from  its  educational  advantages  and  the 
general  advancement  of  philately  in  the 
public  eye.  Saturday,  March  25th,  will  be 
devoted  to  the  children  of  the  public 
schools,  and  packets  of  stamps  contributed 
by  the  leading  dealers  will  be  distributed. 
Rules  and  Regulations. 

All  exhibits  must  be  mounted  under  glass 
in  sealed  frames,  at  the  exhibitor's  own 
expense,  ready  for  hanging,  and  a  uniform 
charge  of  fifty  cents  (50)  per  frame  will  be 
made  for  space. 

Arrangements  can  be  made  by  exhibitors 
for  insurance  against  loss  by  fire  (or 
burglary)  of  exhibits  with  the  committee 
while  same  are  in  their  custody,  at  the  rate 
of  25  cents  per  $100.00  insured  for  each 
kind.  The  charge  for  same,  together  with 
charge  for  space,  will  be  payable  on  de- 
livery of  exhibit  to  the  committee. 

Exhibits  must  be  sent,  charges  prepaid, 
and  will  be  returned  at  the  expense  and 
sole  risk  of  owner,  unless  insured  (insur- 
ance in  transit,  if  any,  being  paid  by  the 
owner). 

No  price  or  other  notification  of  rate  may- 
be fixed  to  an  exhibit. 

The  right  of  refusing  any  exhibit  is  re- 
served by  the  Committee. 

Exhibits  for  competition  must  be  bona 
fide  property  of  the  exhibitor. 

No  exhibitor  may  be  awarded  more  than 
one  silver  medal. 

The  following  judges  have  kindly  con- 
sented to  act,  the  awards  in  each  class  to  be 
made  by  at  least  three  judges  : 

P.  F.  Bruner,  John  N.  Luff, 

J.  W.  George,  Charles  R.  Braine.  Jr., 

J.  M.  Andreini,        Alex.  Holland. 

The  following  is  the  table  of  classes  and 
divisions  for  competition  and  awards : 
CLASS    I. 

For    collections   of    adhesive    stamps   of 
any  one  of  the  following  countries   or  com- 
bination of  countries  named  below  : 
Division  1. 

NORTH    AND     SOUTH    AMERICA. 

Group  A. 
United  States  Postage  (including  Depart- 
ments, Dues,  and  Newspapers). 

Group    B. 
United  States  Revenues — 

1.  Document  and  Private  Proprietary. 

2.  Telegraphs. 

Group  C. 
United  States  Colonies. 

1.  Hawaii. 

2.  Cuba. 

3.  Porto  Rico. 

4.  Philippine  Isles. 


Group    D. 

1.  Colombian  Republic  and  States. 

2.  Brazil, 

3.  Mexico. 

4.  Central  American  States  (Salvador, 
Guatemala,  Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica  and 
Honduras). 

5.  Chili. 

6.  Peru. 

7.  Ecuador. 

8.  Argentine. 

9.  Bolivia. 
Uruguay  and  Paraguay. 
Venezuela. 
British    Colonies   in    North    America 

(Canada,  Newfoundland,  Nova  Scotia, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  New  Brunswick  and 
British  Columbia). 

13.  British   Colonies    in    Western     Hemi- 
sphere, remaining. 

14.  Danish     and     Dutch     West     Indies 
(Surinam,  Curacoa). 

15.  Hayti  and  Dominican  Republic. 
Awards  in  this  Division  : 

Group  A,  one  silver  medal. 
Group  B,  one  silver  medal. 
Group  C,  one  silver  medal. 
Group  D,  one  silver  medal. 
Division  2. 

EUROPE,    ASIA,    AFRICA     AND     AUSTRALIA. 

Group  A. 

1.  Great  Britain. 

2.  Austria  (Austrian  Italy  and  Hungary). 

3.  Russian  (Finland  and  Poland). 

4  Germany  (any  two  of  the  follow- 
ing) :  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  Baden,  Bavaria, 
Bergedorf,  Bremen,  Brunswick,  Empire  and 
Confederation  ;  Hamburg  Hanover,  Lubec, 
Mecklenburg-Sch.  and  Str.,  Oldenburg, 
Prussia,  Saxony,  Sch.  Holstein,  Thurn  and 
Taxis,  Wurtemberg. 

5.  Italy  (any  two  of  the  following  :  Italy, 
Modena,  Naples,  Papal  States,  Parma, 
Romagna,  Sicily,  Tuscany. 

6.  Spain  and  Portugal. 

7.  Switzerland. 

8.  Turkey. 

9.  France. 

10.  Holland  and  Belgium. 

1 1 .  Greece. 

12.  Norway  and  Sweden. 

13.  Denmark  and  Iceland. 

14.  British  Colonies  in  Europe  (Cyprus, 
Gibraltar,  Ionian  Islands,  Malta). 

15.  Balkan  States  (Servia,  Roumania, 
Montenegro,  Bulgaria,  Bosnia. 

Group  B. 

1.  Japan. 

2.  Persia. 

3.  Egypt. 

4.  Colonies  of  France  and  Fortugal  in 
Asia,  Africa. 

5.  Orange  Free  State. 

6.  Sarawak  and  Siam. 

7.  India  and  Ceylon. 

8.  British  Colonies  in  Asia  and  Africa, 
other  than  (7). 

9.  Australia  and  New  Zealand. 


Notable   Stamp   Exhibit. 


67 


Awards  in  this  Division  ; 

Group  A,  one  silver  medal. 
Group  B,  one  silver  medal. 
CLASS    II. 

EXHIBIT    BY     A     DEALER. 

One   silver   medal    for    most    meritorious 
exhibit  by  a  dealer. 

Arrangement  to  count  10  per  cent. 
Quantity  to  count  40  per  cent. 
Quality  to  count  50  per  cent. 
CLASS    HI. 
Division  1. 

BEST  EXHIBIT    BY    A    LADY. 

Division   2. 

BEST    EXHIBIT    BY     A     BOY     OR     GIRL     UNDER 
EIGHTEEN. 

this   class,    Division    1,    one 


this    class,    Division    2,    one 


Awards    in 
silver  medal. 

Awards   in 
silver  medal. 

SPECIAL   AWARDS. 

The  following  Special  Awards  have  been 
donated  : — 

Section  on  Philately.  One  Bronze  Medal 
for  the  most  meritorious  exhibit  shown  by  a 
member  of  the  Section  on  Philately. 

Nassau  Stamp  Co.  One  Gold  Medal  for 
the  Exhibit  showing  most  scientific  arrange- 
ment. 

Scott  Stamp  and  Coin  Co.  One  1 899 
Edition  National  Album,  linen  paper,  full 
morocco,  for  the  best  exhibit  shown  in 
Class  I.,  Division  1,  Group  A. 

One  1899  Edition  International  Album, 
two  volumes,  half  morocco,  for  the  best 
exhibit  shown  in  CHss  I.,  Division  1, 
Group  D. 

One  subscription  to  "  The  Catalogue  for 
Advanced  Collectors"  for  the  most  meri- 
torious exhibit  shown. 


A.  Kras^a.  One  "  Ne  Plus  Ultra  Pos- 
tage Stamp  Album,"  sunk  mounts,  for  the 
best  exhibit  shown  by  a  member  of  the 
Section  on  Philately,  in  Class  I.,  Division 
1,  Group  B. 

One  sterling  silver  "  Ne  Plus  Ultra  Stamp 
Cleanser  and  Hinge  Remover"  for  best 
exhibit  shown  in  Class  I.,  Division  2,  Group 
B. 

J.  C.  Morgetithau  &  Co.  One  "  sheet  25 
centavas  Arequipa,  Peru,"  for  the  best 
exhibit  shown  of  South  American  countries. 

Bogert  &  Durbin.  One  "5  Pesos  Hon- 
duras inverted  center,"  for  best  exhibit 
shown  by  a  member  of  the  Section  on  Phi- 
lately, of  the  Central  American  States. 

One  "sheet  Providence  Reprints"  for 
best  exhibit  shown  of  U.S.  Reprints. 

Geo.  R.  Tuttle.  One  and  two  cent.  Jus- 
tice Department  unused  for  second  best 
exhibit  shown  in  Class  I.,  Division  1,  Group 
A. 

The  /.  W.  Scott  &*  Co.  One  "J.  W. 
Scott's  Best  Blank  Album"  for  best  exhibit 
shown  in  Class  I,  Division  2,  Group  A. 

George  J.  Carter.  A  set  of  United  States 
Revenues,  valued  at  $20,  for  the  most  taste- 
fully arranged  general  exhibit  of  stamps  by 
a  boy  or  girl  under  fifteen  years  of  age. 

For  further  particulars  apply  to  the 
Secretary,  Exhibition  Committee, 

John  D.  Carberry,  Esq., 

1206,  Brunswick  Avenue,  Brooklyn. 

The  following  gentlemen  comprise  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Exhibition : 
Alex.  Holland,  Chairman ;  John  D.  Car- 
berry,  Secretary  ;  Charles  R.  Braine,  jun., 
P.  Elbert  Nostrand,  David  S.  Wells,  Dr.  T. 
P.  Hyatt,  Geo.  W.  Ring. 


Notices. 


Subscriptions. — The  Philatelic  Recokd  and  Stamp  Xews  will  be  sent  post-free  to  any  subscriber  at 
home  or  abroad  on  receipt  of  5s.  Subscribers'  remittances  should  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  Messrs.  Buhl  &  Co., 
Limited,  ii.  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  England. 


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SPECIAL      POSITIONS      BY      ARRANGEMENT. 

Enquiries  connected  with  the  Advertisement  pages  should  be  addressed  to  Messrs.  Buhl  &  Co.,  n,  Queen 
Victoria  Street.  London,  E.C. 

Advertisements  must  be  received  not  later  than  the  15th  of  the  month  for  publication  in  the  next  issue. 

All  letters  for  the  editor  shonld  be  addressed:  The  Editor,  Philatelic  Record,   care  of  Buhl  <&■ 
Co.,  Limited,  11,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  E.C. 


We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of  Mr. 
Pearson  Hill,  only  son  of  the  late  Sir  Rowland 
Hill,  which  occurred  at  his  residence  on 
December  13th  last,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six. 
Mr.  Hill  entered  the  service  of  the  Post  Office 
in  1850,  and  originated  many  improvements. 
Although  not  a  keen  collector,  Mr.  Hill  was  a 
constant  buyer  some  years  ago,  and  we  well 
remember  seeing  him  almost  daily  in  a  certain 
city  stamp  shop  which  has  now  disappeared. 
lie  was  a  memher  of  the  London  Philatelic 
Society. 


Mr.    Castle  has  counted   the  number  of 
stamps  in  the  following  five  African  Colonies, 
according  to  Gibbons'  new  catalogue,  viz: 
Number  of  stamps  issued  by  — 
British  East  Africa  109 

British  South  Africa  61 
British  Central  Africa  55 
Niger  Coast  63 

Zanzibar  78 


366 

Our  confrere  heads  this  "  Prolific  Philatelic, 
South  Africa."  The  italics  are  ours.  Will 
someone  please  send  on  a  map  of  Africa. 


There  is  an  interesting  local 
reported  from  Jacmel,  a  small 
town  on  the  island  of  Hayti. 
Mons.  Maury  having  been  asked 
as  to  his  opinion  about  a  small 
rectangular  stamp,  evidently  a 
hand  stamp,  showing  the  words 
"Poste  Paye"  in  an  upright  rectangular  frame, 
and  dating  from  1891,  replied  that  he  had  seen 
several  envelopes  sent  from  Jacmel  in  May  and 
June  of  1891  bearing  the  mark  described. 

It  seems,  he  says,  that  stamps  must  have  run 
out  in  that  city  and  for  a  few  weeks  postage 
was  collected  in  this  form,  the  stamp  being 
imprinted  upon  the  envelope,  and  the  amount 
written  across.  'I  hese  imprints  took  the  place 
of  adhesive  stamps,  therefore  Mons.  Maury 
thinks  they  should  be  classed  and  catalogued 
as  local  provisionals. 


In  the  Postal  Card  Bulletin,  Mr.  Lohmeyer 
describes  a  number  of  Indian  postcards,  which 
he  considers  as  hitherto  unknown,  and  calls  a 
"discovery."  Why  these  cards  should  never 
appear  in  the  catalogues  we  do  not  know.  It 
is  nearly  three  years  since  our  publishers 
received  a  number  of  them  for  auction  from 
India,  and  they  have  frequently  been  offered  in 
their  sales  and  privately. 


Mr.  Year  writes  to  us  that  the  Siliguri 
Sub-Treasury  in  Northern  Bengal  issued  a 
sheet  of  240  Postal  Service  stamps  by  mistake 
for  service  labels  on  8th  September  last,  and 
14  similar  stamps  n  days  later.  Altogether 
151  were  actually  postally  used.  Apparently 
they  were  not  challenged  by  the  Post  Office 
for  the  first  day  or  two,  but  after  that  all 
covers  franked  with  the  Postal  Service  stamps 
were  charged  with  unpaid  postage.  The 
stamp  issued  in  error  was  the  9-pie  carmine 
surcharged  "one  anna." — Indian  Philatelist . 

Malta  and  Imperial  Penny  Postage. — 
Reuter's  correspondent  at  Malta,  writing 
under  date  4th  ult.,  points  out  that  the 
Maltese  Government  has  not  accepted  the 
Imperial  Penny  Postage,  and  that  every 
letter  received  in  that  island  at  present 
bearing  only  a  penny  stamp  is  taxed  to  the 
extent  of  threepence  on  each  letter.  The 
postage  to  Malta,  therefore,  remains  as  pre- 
viously, viz.,  twopence  halfpenny  for  every 
half  ounce. 

Captain  Godfrey  writes  that  the  Poonch 
stamp  dies  and  obliterator  have  been  handed 
over  to  him  by  Rajah  Baldeo  Singh,  of 
Poonch.  He  proposes  to  have  these  defaced 
in  presence  of  two  or  three  representative 
gentlemen,  and  to  deposit  them  in  the 
Srinagar  Museum.  This  is  excellent  news, 
as  Poonch  stamps  have  been  largely  "  obliter- 
ated to  order."  Rev.  Father  Simons  has 
been  appointed  agent  for  the  sale  of  the 
remainders  of  Poonch  stamps  too,  and  we 
hear  it  whispered  that  the  "used"  portion 
of  the  stock  is  so  only  in  name.  Of  this, 
however,  we  shall  no  doubt  hear  more  here- 
after. It  is  at  least  satisfactory  to  know 
that  there  can  be  no  more  of  this.  We  have, 
of  course,  no  intention  of  even  hinting  that 
the  Rev.  Father  Simons  is  acting  in  bad  faith 
in  the  matter.  —Indian  Philatelist. 

Our  Honorary  Secretary  has  his  own  trials. 
A  "philatelist  "has  sent  him  a  contribution  to 
our  exhibition  which  consists  of  3,250  used 
current  telegraph  stamps,  and  250  used 
current  \  and  1  anna  postage  stamps.  This 
gentleman  makes  the  modest  request : — 
"  Please  kindly  do  this  favour  on  my  behalf 
to  exhibit  them  and  to  get  rewards  of  silver 
medals  for  me  and  please  send  them  to  me." 
Pie  wants  to  make  quite  sure  of  a  package  of 
medals,  for  he  adds  :  "  An  early  reply  and 
the  rewards  will  highly  oblige  me."  We 
fear  that  he  will  be  disappointed  when  he 
gets  his  treasures  returned  without  medals — 
aye,  without  being  exhibited. — Indian  Phila- 
telist. 


Items  of  Interest. 


69 


A  Swedish  journal  states  that  a  Philatelic 
Congress  would  take  place  in  Stockholm 
during  the  month  of  March,  but  we  have  no 
further  particulars. 


The  Virginia  Philatelist  state  that  without 
a  doubt  the  Philatelic  Journal  of  India  is  one 
of  the  finest  philatetic  publications.  With 
that  we  agree  ;  but  our  contemporary  goes  on 
to  say  that  it  is  published  by  the  Philatelic 
Society  of  India  for  members  only.  With 
the  last  three  words  we  do  not  agree.  We 
understand  anyone  can  have  the  journal  at 
6s.  per  annum,  post  free. 


The  latest  boom  of  the  "  English  Special- 
ists," following  the  Railway  Letter  stamp 
mania,  is  English  stamps  used  in  Cuba  and 
Porto  Rico. 


The  American  Philatelic  Association  has 
now  708  members. 


Several  journals  have  recently  chronicled 
what  they  consider  to  be  a  discovery  of  a 
hitherto  unknown  provisional  of  Barbados. 
It  is  the  one  penny  of  the  1882-84  issue 
perforated  diagonally,  and  each  half  sur- 
charged "HALF  PENNY."  One  of  our 
contemporaries  wants  "more  light  on  the 
discovery,"  and  we  are  willing  to  oblige 
with  what  we  should  have  thought  would  be 
common  knowledge  to  dealers  and  editors. 
The  thing  is  a  bogus  concoction  of  a  certain 
gang  of  "  fakers,"  and  was  made  many  years 
ago,  at  which  time  copies  of  it  frequently 
came  under  our  notice. 


Our  Post  Office  provides  a  considerable 
sum  annually  to  the  budget,  but  we  notice 
that  the  United  States  P.O.  department  has 
an  annual  deficiency  of  about  ^2,000,000. 


The  latest  suggested  absurdity  is  a  series 
of  postcards  with  the  marches  and  hymns  of 
different  countries. 


The  latest  from  Bolivia  is  that  forgeries  of 
the  current  1  peso  stamps  having  been  dis- 
covered, nine  persons  have  been  arrested, 
including  an  hotel  proprietor,  who  is  alleged 
to  have  had  the  stamps  in  his  charge  for 
a  time. 


No  more  '"Omaha"  stamps  are  being 
printed.  As  the  supplies  are  exhausted  they 
are  being  replaced  by  the  regular  stamp. 


At  least  two  New  York  dealers  have  gone 
to  Cuba  in  quest  of  new  postage  stamps. 
Mr.  E.  D.  Powers,  representing  J.  G. 
Morgenthau  &  Co.,  left  in  January  for 
Havana. 


M.  Arthur  Maury  has  had  a  curious 
experience  recently.  He  was  travelling  with 
one  of  his  children  on  the  Cherbourg  line 
to  Paris  on  a  certain  Monday  morning,  in  a 
crowded  railway  carriage,  and  it  happened 
that  on  the  same  day  an  article  on  stamps 
was  published  by  a  Parisian  paper,  in  which 
his  name  was  mentioned.  The  conversation 
happened  to  turn  on  this  subject  and  a 
bombastic  individual  in  the  carriage  said 
that  he  knew  Arthur  Maury  very  well,  in 
fact  he  had  the  day  before  yesterday  pur- 
chased some  forgeries  from  him  (Maury), 
and  had  compelled  him  to  return  the  money. 
Of  course  all  this  was  untrue,  and  when  M. 
Maury  disclosed  his  identity  the  result  was 
highly  amusing. 


France  does  not  mean  to  be  behind  hand, 
and  has  started  her  own  "Imperial  Penny 
Postage,"  but  in  this  case  the  cost  is  15 
centimes  (i^d.)  between  France  and  any  of 
her  colonies. 


Anyone  who  takes  an  interest  in  Oriental 
stamps,  such  as  Afghanistan,  Cashmere, 
Japan,  &c,  cannot  do  better  than  purchase 
Dr.  Legrand's  excellent  work  on  the  Oriental 
alphabets  and  figures  {Alphabets  et  Chiffres 
Orientaux),  which  is  published  by  M.  Moens, 
of  Brussels. 


The  state  of  Rio  Grande  de  Sul,  one  of  the 
United  States  of  Brazil,  has  passed  a  law 
authorizing  the  institution  of  a  State  postal 
service.  This  is  a  novel  move,  yet  perfectly 
comprehensible,  considering  the  peculiar 
condition  of  the  service  of  the  government 
mails.  In  the  first  place,  the  rates  of  postage 
have  been  steadily  increasing  in  Brazil  of 
late,  owing  to  the  depreciation  of  the  money  ; 
moreover,  the  numerous  shortcomings  and 
imperfections  of  the  service  cannot  be  denied. 
The  state  mail  promises  many  innovations 
and  improvements;  quick  service  at  rates 
less  than  half  of  those  charged  by  the 
Brazilian  Government.  New  stamps  of  this 
State  service  may,  therefore,  be  looked  for  at 
an  early  date. 


I  hear  the  Canadian  postal  authorities  are 
preparing  a  new  five  dollar  stamp,  as  it  is 
required  to  pay  newspaper  postage  in  bulk 
It  will  not  be  issued  until  the  high  values  of 
Jubilee  stamps  have  been  exhausted.  Under 
a  new  law,  newspapers,  which  heretofore 
passed  free  by  mail  from  the  office  of  pub- 
lication, throughout  the  Dominion,  must, 
after  January  1st,  pay  postage  at  the  rate  of 
^  cent  a  pound  if  sent  beyond  20  miles 
from  their  place  of  publication,  and  this  rate 
is  prepaid  by  stamps  placed  in  a  pass  book 
supplied  for  the  purpose,  and  cancelled  at 
the  mailing  office. 

This  use  will  soon  exhaust  the  high  values 
of  our  Jubilee  issue,  of  which,  in  spite  of  the 
condemnation  of  the  S.S.S.S.,   I  am  quite 


JO 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


fond,  because  we  know  exactly  where  we 
stand  with  it.  The  number  issued  of  each 
denomination  is  known  beyond  all  dispute, 
and,  thank  heaven,  the  plates  are  destroyed, 
and  we  can  have  no  reprints,  specimens, 
proofs,  or  other  resurrection  abuses.  I  look 
with  pleasure  on  my  handsome  page  of 
Jubilee  blocks. —  Weekly  Philatelic  Era. 

I  met  a  dealer  last  week,  who  wore  a 
troubled  look  upon  his  countenance.  He 
showed  me  a  request  for  stamps  on  approval 
"not  perforated  in  the  effigy."  The  order 
was  filled  and  nicely  centered  stamps  sent, 
but  back  came  the  goods,  "  unsatisfactory," 
with  a  request  for  others  on  approval.  The 
aforesaid  dealer  told  me  that  he  immediately 
closed  the  correspondence,  life  being  too 
short  to  deal  with  the  foibles  of  the  condition 
crank. 

The  condition  crank  is  a  genus  homo  that 
must  be  known  to  be  fully  appreciated.  He 
demands  a  stamp  free  from  the  taint  of 
hinge,  with  a  margin  of  white  on  all  four 
sides,  not  a  straight  edge,  full,  orginal  gum, 
and  not  a  perforation  missing.  Have  you 
met  this  man  ?  He  must  believe  that  govern- 
ments issue  stamps,  not  for  postal  services, 
but  to  beautify  stamp  collections.  I  suggest 
that  the  condition  crank  be  taxed  for  his 
crankiness.  Otherwise  we  shall  have  a 
catalogue  soon,  giving  valuations  upon 
stamps  in  the  various  combinations  of  con- 
dition referred  to  above. — Mekcel ' s  Weeky. 

.Some  collectors  consider  themselves 
philanthropists  when  they  give  a  beginner 
a  few  torn  and  dirty  stamps  that  they  would 
be  ashamed  to  have  in  their  own  albums. 

The  "  littleness  "  of  dealing  in  some  of  the 
cities  of  the  United  States  is  exemplified  by 
a  paragraph  from  Chicago  in  Mekeel's  Weekly, 
which  states  that  "  a  nice  lot  of  seven  can- 
celled two  dollar  Omahas  was  sold  to  a 
dealer  by  a  youth  who,  as  the  son  of  a  bank 
president,  secures  the  pick  of  all  the  stamps 
received  on  mail  addressed  to  the  banking 
house."  In  London  we  should  not  consider 
the  purchase  of  a  hundred  two  dollar 
Omahas  worth  mentioning. 

April  ioth  will  witness  another  addition  to 
the  ranks  of  the  London  dealers.  On  that 
date  Messrs.  Bright  &  Son,  of  Bournemouth, 
will  open  a  shop  at  164,  Strand,  under  the 
able  management  of  Mr.  Oliver. 

The  author  of  this  article  is  neither  a 
dealer  nor  a  speculator,  but  a  plain  ordinary 
collector,  who  studies  his  stamps,  and  who 
wishes  to  disseminate  to  the  philatelic  public 
any  information  he  may  thereby  gain.  He 
considers  the  stamps  of  Paraguay  neglected, 
and  as  an  almost  complete  collection  can  be 
purchased  for  a  small  outlay  of  money,  he 
advises  all  genuine  collectors  to  take  time  by 
the  forelock,  and  purchase  these  stamps 
while  they  are  cheap. —  Virginian  Philatelist. 


The  London  Philatelist  announces  that 
Bolivia  is  selling  "  used  and  unused  regular 
issues  with  Government,  Fiscal,  Telegraph, 
and  other  stamps  at  50  per  cent,  discount 
from  Senf's  prices."  "No  dealers."  This 
must,  we  fear,  do  much  to  diminish  the 
interest  taken  by  collectors  in  what  our 
contemporary  call  this"  enterprisingvolcanic 
area."  This  news  is  certainly  surprising, 
and  we  must  beg  to  express  a  little  doubt  as 
to  its  accuracy  until  it  is  officially  confirmed. 
The  Indian  Philatelist,  commenting  on  this, 
says  that  the  earlier  issues  are  probably 
reprints.  We  would  add  that  no  reprints  of 
Bolivian  stamps  exist. 

Orders  have  been  given  for  the  surcharging 
of  a  number  of  United  States  stamps  with 
the  words  "  Porto  Rico,"  similar  to  those 
recently  issued  for  Cuba. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Americans  are 
stamp  collectors,  and  the  English  philatelists ; 
and  there  is  considerable  truth  in  the  remark. 
One  of  the  prominent  philatelists  of  London, 
in  writing  of  the  Sidney  Views,  gives  the 
following  colour  or  shades  for  the  3d  :  green 
and  the  following  shades  of  green,  bright, 
dull,  pale,  full,  apple,  deep  apple,  myrtle, 
emerald,  slightly  bluish,  brownish,  dull 
brownish,  yellow,  and  pale  yellow  green  ; 
14  shades  of  one  stamp.  As  the  3d.  Sidney 
View  is  catalogued  at  from  $9  to  $25  for 
common  varieties,  and  some  ot  these  shades 
are  considered  as  great  rarities,  it  costs 
considerable  money  to  be  a  specialist  in  3d. 
Sidney  Views  alone.  It  is  the  study  of 
stamps  which  enables  one  to  specify  all 
these  different  shades  that  goes  to  make 
what  is  called  a  philatelist  in  the  true  sense 
of  the  word.  Where  the  Englishman  has 
the  advantage  over  the  American  is  that  the 
former,  if  a  wealthy  man,  is  a  man  of  leisure  ; 
and  the  latter,  in  almost  any  rank  of  life,  is 
immersed  in  business  cares. —  Weekly  Phila- 
telic Era. 

A  New  York  dealer  recently  received  a 
request  and  want  list  of  some  rare  stamps. 
These  were  accompanied  by  guarantee  of 
safe  return  by  a  bank  president,  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the  safety 
of  the  stamps.  A  week  later  the  entire 
selection  was  returned  in  perfect  order,  and 
not  the  slightest  damage  had  been  done  in 
any  way.  Accompanying  was  a  letter  stat- 
ing :  "  *  *  *  I  was  expecting  some  Philatelic 
friends  to  spend  the  evening,  and  desired  to 
place  these  fine  stamps  in  my  album  to  show 
them.  My  friends  were  delighted  with  my 
collection,  and  I  now  return  the  stamps  to 
you  with  my  best  thanks  for  the  loan,  &c, 
&c. "  No  cheek  about  that,  was  there  ?— 
Wtekly  Philatelic  Era. 

The  St.  Louis  (U.S.)  "  Stamp  Exchange  " 
appears  to  be  a  big  society.  It  has  no  less 
than  131S  members,  and  the  value  of  stamps 
in  circulation  is  $56,000  (^11,200),  and  the 
weekly  turnover  about  $2,000  (^400). 


•  Bright's     Catalogue,    Third 
Edition,  1899. 

There  are  many  features  in  this  new 
edition  of  Messrs.  Bright  and  Son's  new 
catalogue  which  will  be  appreciated  by  the 
general  collector.  The  whole  is  published 
in  one  volume  ;  the  adhesives  first,  and  the 
cards,  envelopes,  and  newsbands  at  the 
end  of  the  book.  It  is  not  too  bulky,  and 
the  matter  has  the  great  advantage  of  being 
arranged  in  strictly  alphabetical  order, 
instead  of  in  empires,  or  different  parts  of  the 
world,  or  in  groups  of  countries  and 
colonies.  The  binding  is  substantial,  and 
the  printing  is  clear,  but  most  of  the  copies 
we  have  seen  appear  to  have  been  hastily 
cut,  as  many  pages  have  either  no  heading, 
or  no  bottom  margins,  and  many  are  lop- 
sided, but  this,  probably,  only  applies  to 
the  first  few  copies  which  were  got  out  in  a 
hurry,  and  will  be  found  remedied  in  the 
later  ones. 

The  illustrations  are  of  unequal  merit. 
Some,  such  as  Great  Britain,  which  now 
appear  for  the  first  time,  being  very  good, 
but  others,  such  as  some  of  the  Brazil,  Cey- 
lon, Chili,  Cyprus,  Mauritius,  &c,  are  very 
poor  indeed,  and  we  hope  to  see  this 
improved  upon  in  future  editions. 

On  page  560  we  find  an  interesting  variety 
of  Zambesia,  with  the  King  of  Portugal 
standing  on  his  head,  and  in  many  cases 
the  arrangement  of  the  pages  is  spoilt  by  the 
illustrations  appearing  at  the  bottom  of  one 
column,  with  the  text  commencing  on  the 
next  colnmn,  which  does  not  look  well. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  a  catalogue,  we 
have  little  fault  to  find.  We  notice  that  the 
2  para  error  of  Servia,  first  issue,  has  been 
omitted,  but  this  is  one  of  the  small  errors 
which  must  creep  into  such  a  work. 

The  prices  seem  to  be  calculated  on  a 
reasonable  basis  as  compared  with  other 
recent  catalogues  and  the  current  market 
value.  It  is,  of  course,  too  much  to  expect 
that  the  compiler  of  a  catalogue  should 
know  everything  that  goes  on  in  the  phila- 
telic market,  for,  although  it  may  be  news 
to  some  of  our  readers,  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  a  philatelic  market,  and  a 
minimum  value  for  every  stamp,  and  we 
must  not  make  too  much  of  the  few  errors, 
such  as  the  set  of  Labuan  lithographed  mi- 
used,  which  amount  to  6s.  id.,  about  one- 
fourth  of  their  value.  They  are  several 
times  rarer  than  the  engraved  (no  water- 
mark) issue,  which  are  priced  in  the  same 
catalogue  at  18s.  6d.,  and  are  cheap  at 
that  ! 

We  are,  perhaps,  unfortunately,  so  con- 
servative in  our  views  of  matters  philatelic, 


that  we  do  not  like  to  see  the  splitting  up  of 
prices  into  "  halfpennies." 

After  all,  no  one  takes  "  catalogue  prices  ' 
as  an  exact  guide,  and,  to  our  mind,  it 
seems  absurd  to  price  some  stamps  at  ^d., 
ijd.,  or  2^d.  If  they  were  priced  id.,  2d., 
and  3d,  or,  if  you  prefer  it,  id.,  id.,  and  2d., 
it  would  be  easier  for  those  who  use  the 
book,  and  would  not  make  one  atom  of 
difference  to  the  reader  of  the  catalogue. 

The  above  sounds  something  like  a  grum- 
ble, but  taking  the  volume  all  in  all,  as  it 
stands,  it  is  a  production  very  creditable  to 
its  publishers,  and  we  hope  to  welcome 
many  future  editions  of  what  is  now  so  well- 
known  as  "Bright's  Catalogue." 


A  New  Perforation  Gauge. 

Messrs.  G.  Hamilton  Smith  &  Co.  have 
sent  us  a  specimen  of  the  philatelic  per- 
foration gauge,  which  is  certainly  an  im- 
provement on  any  gauge  which  we  have 
seen  up  to  the  present.  The  perforations, 
which  appear  to  be  perfectly  accurate,  are 
from  9  J  to  16,  arranged  round  the  four  sides 
of  the  card,  thus  making  it  possible  to 
measure  the  perforation  of  any  stamp  that 
may  be  hinged  in  the  ordinary  way,  without 
taking  it  out  of  the  album,  or  removing  it 
from  the  sheet  on  which  it  may  be  placed. 
There  is  also  a  neat  millimetre  scale  (up  to 
40  mil :)  at  the  side  of  the  card,  by  which  the 
length  of  any  stamp  or  surcharge  may  be 
measured  without  removing  the  stamp. 
Messrs.  Hamilton  Smith  &  Co.  are  to  be 
congratulated  on  the  production  of  what  is 
not  only  a  very  happy  idea,  but  an  improve- 
ment on  any  gauge  that  we  have  hitherto 
seen. 


A  "  Philatelic   Almanac." 

We  have  received,  for  review,  a  copy  of  the 
Philatelic  Almanac  for  1899,  published  by 
Messrs.  Smyth  &  Co.,  Boscombe,  Bourne- 
mouth. As  an  almanac  it  is  very  useful, 
as  it  gives  us  postal  rates,  a  list  of  countries 
in  the  Postal  Union,  the  relative  value  of 
foreign  moneys,  a  list  of  Kings  and  Queens, 
and  any  amount  of  information  on  gardening, 
but  apart  from  advertisments,  we  fail  to  find 
the  least  suspicion  of  anything  Philatelic, 
except  perhaps  a  list  of  Philatelic  Journals. 


British  Indian  Adhesive  Stamps,  surcharged 
for  Native  States.  Part  II.  By  C.  Stewart- 
Wilson,  Calcutta,  1898.  Published  by  the 
Philatelic  Society  of  India. 

The  good  work  started  by  the  Philatelic 
Society  of  London   is    beginning    to   bear 


72 


The  Philatelic   Record. 


fruit.  A  few  years  ago  no  one  would  have 
thought  that  there  was  any  society  in  other 
parts  of  the  British  Empire  which  would  be 
able  to  turn  out  "  handbooks  "  on  philatelic 
subjects  to  vie  with  the  mother  country,  but 
philatelic  events  move  rapidly,  and  the 
Philatelic  Society  of  India  should  be  proud 
indeed  of  such  a  work  as  the  one  now  under 
notice.  Mr.  C.Stewart-Wilson,  who  is  now 
Postmaster-General  of  the  Punjab,  proves 
himself  to  be  a  thorough  philatelist  in  every 
sense  of  the  word.  The  work  of  136  pages 
shows  most  painstaking  researches  into 
matters  which,  in  a  country  like  India,  must 
be  difficult  to  determine,  and  we  really  can- 
not select  any  part  for  special  mention.  All 
we  can  advise  our  readers  is  to  buy  the 
book,  which  is  published  at  the  modest 
price  of  six  shillings. 


Mr.  Arthur  Manry  apparently  does  not 
mean  to  be  behind  the  times,  so  he  has  pub- 
lished a  supplement  to  his  catalogue,  being 
a  price  list  of  stamps,  envelopes,  and  cards 
issued  in  1898.  It  consists  of  only  36  pages, 
but  should  be  of  considerable  interest  to 
those  who  follow  the  prices  of  modern 
issues. 


La  Cartolina  Postale  IUustrata  is  the  title  of 
a  new  publication  emanating  from  Milan. 
It  appears  monthly,  is  very  well  got  up,  and 


is  devoted  to  the  collection  of — illustrated 
postcards.  This  is  certainly  not  philately, 
and  we  only  mention  the  magazine  to  show 
what  rapid  strides  in  the  public  estimation 
has  been  made  by  a  new  hobby,  which  can- 
not, and  ought  not  to  be,  taken  seriously, 
and  which  we  feel  confident  will  die  out  as 
rapidly  as  it  came  into  fashion. 


Descriptive  Catalogue  of  the  Postage  Stamps 
and  Cards,  issued  by  the  Hong  Kong  Post  Office, 
by  Juan  Mencanni,  author  of  "  Catalogo  Dcs- 
cripiivo  de  las  Sellos  y  Tarjetas  Postales  de  las 
Islas  Fi!ipinas.n  Also,  "  Descriptive  Catalogue 
of  the  Postage  Stamps  issued  by  the  Amoy  Local 
Post,"  1898. 

We  have  little  to  say  about  this  work.  Mr. 
Mencanni  has  been  a  philatelist  for  many 
years,  and  is  well-known  to  the  older  school 
as  not  only  an  enthusiast,  but  also  an  un- 
doubted authority  on  anything  pertaining  to 
philatelic  matters  in  the  East.  If  fault  is  to  be 
found  with  anything  in  the  little  book,  it  is 
that  there  is  rather  too  much  of  the  "in- 
troductory remarks,"  "  terminology,"  and 
"technical  terms"  about  it,  but  much  of 
this  is  counteracted  by  the  list  of  the  stamps 
of  Hong  Hong,  and  the  excellent  illustra- 
tions of  Chinese  characters,  with  their  pro- 
nunciations in  Mandarin  and  Cantonese,  and 
their  meaning  in  English. 


[Jf.ft, 


&^&j%  c^^^l^a 


International  Philatelic 
Exhibition,   Manchester,  1899. 

The  following  circular  letter  is  now  being 
sent  with  the  prospectus  of  this  exhibition, 
and  we  hope  many  of  our  readers  will  apply 
for  tickets :  — 

With  reference  to  the  enclosed  prospectus 
the  Committee  beg  to  intimate  that  the 
whole  of  the  guarantee  fund  has  been  raised 
amongst  the  members  of  the  Manchester 
Philatelic  Society,  but  with  a  view  to  afford 
the  general  body  of  Philatelists  an  oppor- 
tunity of  contributing  towards  the  expenses 
of  the  proposed  Exhibition,  subscription 
tickets  will  be  issued  at  one  guinea  each, 
which  tickets  will  entitle  the  subscriber  to 
admission  to  the  Exhibition,  and  to  all 
functions  in  connection  therewith. 

The  names  of  all  those  who  support  the 
Exhibition  by  subscription  will  appear  in 
the  official  catalogue. 

Scientific  Philately. 

We  have  received  the  following  further 
communication  from    the  secretary   of   the 
Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences: — 
174,  Montague  Street, 

Brooklyn,  New  York,  Jan,  17th,  1899 

Dear  Sir, — By  creating  a  section  on  Phil- 
ately, the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  has  publicly  and  officially  recog- 
nised that  the  study  and  collection  of  stamps 
is  a  science.  The  members  of  the  section 
have  decided  to  give  a  public  exhibition  of 
stamps,  and  the  project  has  met  with  the 
approval  and  support  of  the  trustees  of  the 
institute.  The  exhibition  will  be  held  in  the 
art  rooms  from  March  18th  to  30th,  1899. 

The  official  catalogue  will  contain  a  short 
history  of  postage  stamps  and  postage  evolu- 
tion, also  pages  devoted  to  advertisements, 
at  the  following  rates,  viz. : — One  page  $10  ; 
half,  $5  50c.  ;  quarter,  $3.  Special  rates  will 
be  made  for  more  than  one  page.  No  type 
smaller  than  brevier  will  be  used. 

The  following  facts  should  be  borne  in 
mind  when  deciding  whether  you  will 
embrace  this  opportunity  to  advertise  : 

1.  The  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and 
Sciences  is  an  institution  of  learning,  sup- 
ported by  the  State  and  city. 

2.  There  are  7,000  members  of  the  institute. 

3.  This  is  the  first  time  that  Philately  has 
been  publicly  recognised  as  one  of  the  arts 
and  sciences.  Two  public  lectures  upon 
philatelic  subjects  have  been  given ;  four 
more  are  dated,  besides  this  exhibit.  All 
matter  for  advertisement  must  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  catalogue  committee  by  Feb. 
15th,  1899.  No  advertisements  will  be 
printed  without  payment  in  advance.  For 
further    information     address     H.    Toelke, 


ft^V^r 


Secretary,  91,  Grove  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.Y., 
or,  yours  truly,  T.   P.  Hyatt, 

Chairman  Catalogue  Committee,  516,  No- 
strand  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  N.Y. 

A    New    Album. 

Now  that  there  is  such  a  demand  for  the 
stamps  of  Spanish  Colonies,  or  rather  late 
Spanish  Colonies,  there  should  also  be  a 
demand  for  a  new  album,  which  has  just  been 
published  by  M.  Galvez,  of  Madrid.  The 
translation  of  its  title  is  "An  Album  for  the 
Postage  and  Telegraph  Stamps  of  Spain  and 
her  Colonies,"  by  M.  Galvez  Jiminez,  pub- 
lished in  Madrid,  1898.  To  show  the  com- 
pleteness of  the  album  there  are  no  less  than 
120  spaces  left  for  Fiscals  used  postally,  and 
in  the  ordinary  portion  there  are  spaces  put  to- 
even  the  very  latest  issues.  Ten  pages  are 
left  for  telegiaph  stamps,  and  the  book  can 
be  recommended  to  those  who  are  now 
specializing  these  stamps. 

Herts  Philatelic  Society. 

Honorary  President: — Harold  J.  White. 
Vice-Presidents : — Robert  Ehrenbach,  Herbert 
R.  Oldfield,  Gordon  Smith,  m.a. 
Committee  : — 
W.  A.  Bois,  W.  G.  Cool, 

George  Gaffe,  E.  A.  Mardon, 

Louis  E.  Bradbury,      W.  Simpson, 
Rev.  Walter  Jenks,       Fredk.  A.  Wickhart. 

Counterfeit  Expert: — Rev.  R.  B.  Earee, 

Miserden  Rectory,  Cirencester. 

Librarian  ;—  G.  Haynes,  Donnington  House, 

St.  Albans,  and  124,  Newgate  Street,  Lon- 
don, E.C. 
Hon.  Secretary  and  Treasurer :— H.  A.  Slade, 
Ingleside,  St.  Albans. 

Bankers :  London  and  County  Bank,  St. 

Albans. 

Annual  subscription,   5s.     No  entrance  fee. 

Life  membership,  £1  is. 

The  London  Philatelist,  and  other  philatelic 
journals,  can  be  obtained  of  the  secretary  at 
reduced  rates. 

The  counterfeit  expert  is  prepared  to  give 
his  opinion  on  all  stamps  submitted  to  him 
at  a  charge  of  one  halfpenny  per  stamp  (plus, 
postage). 

Members  are  allowed  to  see  or  contribute, 
to  all  the  exchange  packets  free  of  charge. 
No  charge  is  made  on  purchases,  but  2^  per 
cent,  commission  is  deducted  from  gross 
sales. 

Sheets  are  returned  and  balances  are  paid 
immediately  on  return  of  packets. 

A  supply  of  twelve  society's  sheets  is 
forwarded  annually  to  all  members  free  of 
charge.  Extra  sheets  are  charged  for  at  cost 
price. 

All  subscriptions  become  due  on  October- 
1st  of  each  year. 


74 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Birmingham  Philatelic  Society. 

Honorary  President :— YV.  B.  Avery,  Esq. 

President : — W.  T.  Wilson,  Esq. 

Vice-Presidents  : — R.    Hollick,    Esq. 

W.  Pimm,  Esq. 

Committee  : — 

Mr.  H.  Bewlay.  Mr.  T.   W.  Peck. 

Mr.  P.  T.  Deakin.        Mr.  C.  A.  Stephenson. 

Mr.  V.  Lundeblad.      Mr.  W.  S.    Vaughton, 

Hon.   Secretary   dv   Treasurer : — 

Mr.    G.  Johnson,  B.A. 

Official  Address  :     208,  Birchfield  Road, 
Birmingham. 

Dec.  1,  189S.  The  following  were  unani- 
mously elected  members — Messrs.  J .  J  .Smith, 
A.  H. 'Stamford,  W.  E.  Lake,  and  J.  N. 
Kevnes  ;  on  Dec.  15th  the  following — Messrs 
R.  Plant,  Yittorio  Durani,  A.  W.  Chaytor, 
J.  B.  Brevoort,  G.  D.  Welding,  E.  Hegin- 
bottom,  II.  de  Lacey  Ahearne.  Monsieur 
Jules  Bernichon  was  unanimously  elected  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Society. 

A  report  of  the  Exhibition  was  presented, 
shewing  that  the  total  cost  to  the  Society 
was  about  ^24.  This  would  be  borne  entirely 
by  the  funds,  and  nothing  would  be  accepted 
from  private  members.  It  was  felt  that 
as  dealers  and  collectors  in  all  parts  of  the 
-world,  were  most  enthusiastically  supporting 
the  Society,  we  in  turn  should  do  something 
for  philately.  It  had  been  most  successful, 
over  700  seeing  the  Exhibition  during  the 
two  days  and  half  it  was  open,  and  we  feel 
sure  that  it  will  have  a  marked  and  per- 
manent effect.  It  was  decided  to  send,  artisti- 
cally arranged,  "  votes  of  thanks"  to  all 
exhibitors  as  a  memento  of  a  very  pleasant 
and  successful  exhibition. 

Jan.  19,  1899.  The  following  were  unani- 
mously elected  members  : — Mrs.  Tillotson, 
Messrs.  A.  G.  Farrar,  A.  D.  Arter,  and  H. 
H.  Buijs.  Votes  of  thanks  were  given  to 
Messrs.  PI.  Ferrier  Kerr,  Bright  and  Son, 
and  Gelli  and  Tani  for  presentations  to  the 
Library.  It  was  also  decided  to  purchase 
Philbrick  and  Westoby's  Stamps  of  Great 
Britain  (new  edition);  Postage  stamps  of 
India,  and  the  Indian  Philatelist. 

Feb.  2nd — Miss  S.  M.  D'Albiac  and  Mr- 
A.  Still  were  unanimously  elected  members. 
Mr.  W.  Pimm  showed  his  collection  of  New 
South  Wales,  which  is  strong  in  the  early 
issues,  and  includes  some  exceptionally  fine 
re-constructed  sheets,  every  stamp  being  in 
fine  condition. 

Feb.  i6th — Messrs.  T.  E.  Laureson  and 
L.  Konig  were  unanimously  elected  members. 
Mr.  T.  W.  Peck  gave  a  short  paper  on  U.S.A. 
watermarks,  illustrated  by  a  large  number  of 
strips  and  plate  numbers. 

The  Central  Philatelic  Club. 

RULES    OF    THE    EXCHANGE     PACKET. 

i. — The  Packet  to  be  sent  to  members 
only.  Stamps  to  be  affixed  to  one  side  of 
page  only  ;  they  must  not  face  each  other 
and  each  page  to  average  not  less  than  15/-  in 
value.     Stamps   to    be    priced    by    Stanley 


Gibbons'  catalogue,  and  to  be  subject  to  a 
discount  of  50  per  cent.  Sheets  to  be  sent 
to  the  Secretary  by  the  1st  of  each  month 
at  latest,  the  Packet  being  sent  out  promptly 
on  the  5th. 

2.— The  settlements  to  be  monthly  and  in 
cash.  Balances  must  in  all  cases  be  settled 
within  seven  days  after  receipt  of  account. 
The  Packet  will  not  be  sent  to  members 
neglecting  to  settle  within  this  period,  and 
their  sheets  in  circulation  will  be  retained 
by  the  Secretary  until  the  amount  is  paid. 
Every  endeavour  will  be  made  to  pay  out  all 
amounts  due  to  members  within  14  days  of 
the  return  of  the  sheets.  Five  per  cent, 
commission  on  net  sales  to  be  retained  by 
Secretary.  This  amount  will  cover  all 
postage  and  printing  expenses  in  connection 
with  the  Packet. 

3. — The  Packet  to  be  forwarded  as  quickly 
as  possible,  by  Registered  Parcel  Post,  and 
in  no  case  to  be  kept  longer  than  24  hours. 
(Any  member  of  the  "  C.P.C."  may  see  the 
Packet,  whether  he  sends  sheets  or  not,  but 
in  the  case  of  a  member  who  does  not  send 
a  sheet,  special  application  to  the  Secretary 
is  necessary. ) 

4. — Remarks  as  to  prices  and  forgeries 
have  in  every  case  to  be  plainly  initialed. 

5. — No  entire  post-cards,  envelopes,  or 
wrappers  may  be  included. 

6. — The  Club  will  not  be  responsible  for 
the  debts  of  members,  or  for  sheets  of 
stamps,  or  packets  lost  or  stolen.  The  Com- 
mittee reserve  the  right  to  take  such  action 
as  they  may  deem  necessary  for  the  recovery 
of  missing  stamps  or  their  value. 

7.— A  member  removing  a  stamp  must 
initial  in  ink  or  with  a  rubber  stamp  the 
space  from  which  the  stamp  is  taken,  and 
enter  the  total  on  the  front  of  each  sheet. 
He  must  also  enter  an  account  of  his  takings 
upon  the  back  page  of  his  own  sheet ;  or,  if 
he  has  no  sheet  in  the  Packet,  then  on  a 
blank  form,  and  he  must  also  fill  up  and 
sign  the  Postal  List  accompanying  the 
Packet. 

8. — Members  should  carefully  count  the 
sheets,  and  also  examine  the  Packets  on 
arrival,  and  see  that  all  spaces  are  initialed 
before  removing  any  stamps.  Should  blank 
spaces  be  found,  notice  of  such  should  be 
sent  to  the  Secretary  and  to  the  forwarding 
member,  who  will  be  debited  with  the  stamp 
or  stamps  missing. 

9. — The  order  of  the  Packet  is  made  in 
the  following  manner  : — All  members  are 
balloted  once  to  fix  their  position  as  regards 
seeing  the  Packet,  but  members  sending 
sheets  will  take  priority  over  those  who  do 
not  send  sheets,  the  Secretary  taking  turn 
with  the  other  members. 

N.B. — A  special  meeting  of  the  members 
will  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  each 
month  at  7  p.m. 

(Signed)        C.  FORBES, 
Secretary. 


Philatelic  Societies. 


75 


Plymouth  Philatelic  Society. 

The  Annual  Philatelic  Display  of  this 
Society  was  held  on  Saturday  afternoon  and 
evening,  January  14th,  at  9a,  Princess 
Square,  Plymouth,  and  proved  a  most 
gratifying  success — the  exhibits  being  un- 
questionably in  advance  of  all  that  had 
preceded.  A  large  number  of  philatelists 
and  philatelic  friends  inspected  the  stamps, 
and  among  those  present  were  the  Hon. 
Lady  Fremantle,  Lieut. -Col.  Crookenden, 
Major  G.  Stockdale,  R.E.,  and  several 
members  representative  of  the  trade.  In 
themselves  the  exhibits  were  very  varied  and 
well  mounted,  though  the  room  unfortu- 
nately did  not  lend  itself  to  setting  off  the 
stamps  at  their  best.  To  Baron  A.  de 
Worms  certainly  fell  the  honour  of  the 
finest  display.  His  mint  collections  of  St. 
Helena  and  British  Honduras  were 
deservedly  the  attraction  of  the  room, 
and  comprised,  in  the  St.  Helena,  blocks  of 
the  6d.  perf.  and  imperf. ,  the  id.  both 
sized  bars,  a  pair  of  the  is.  green,  short  bar 
(difficult  enough  to  procure  unused  in  the 
single  copy)  and  four  varieties  of  the  pale 
blue  6d.,  shown  also  in  pairs  ;  while  in  the 
Honduras  one  noted  a  pair  of  the  6d. 
orange  and  is.  grey,  two  mint  specimens  of 
the  50  cents  on  is.,  and  the  3  cent  on  3  pence, 
12.J  perf.  CC — this  last  stamp  perhaps  the 
piece  de  resistance  of  the  many  good  things 
shown  by  Baron  de  Worms.  The  Rev. 
E.  T.  Fyffe,  R.N.,  contributed  several 
striking  copies  of  the  first  issue  of  India, 
with  interesting  specimens  of  proofs,  but 
reached  high  watermark  in  the  very  hand- 
some display  of  Sydney  views  that  he  also 
sent  in.  These  included  a  very  fine  plate  of 
the  id.  die  II.,  with  clouds,  of  July,  1850 — the 
stamps  being  all  in  fine  colour — along  with 
several  impressions  of  varying  plates  of  the 
2d.  value,  all  in  fair  condition.  From  Major 
Stockdale,  R.E.,  came  an  exhibit  both  of 
quality  and  quantity,  embracing  Ceylon, 
Egypt,  Persia,  Spain,  France,  Luxembourg 
(unused  and  complete),  Malta  (unused), 
Gibraltar  (unused),  with  copies  in  mint  of 
the  two  early  1/-.  Among  some  of  his  most 
coveted  treasures  were  to  be  seen  unused 
copies  of  the  iod.  imperf.  Ceylon,  and  of  the 
9a  ,  4d.,  5d.,  and  1/9  star  issue  of  the  same 
country.  Indeed,  his  Ceylons  were  very 
complete  and  fine,  and  included  a  number 
of  the  rare  2  cent  surcharges  on  red  lilac. 
Major  Stockdale's  French,  which  were  also 
much  admired,  were  those  recently  exhibited 
at  Birmingham.  An  equally  full  assortment 
of  European  issues  in  fine  used  condition 
was  sent  by  the  Rev.  E.  A.  Donaldson. 

His  Germany  was  practically  complete, 
and  in  addition  Mr.  Donaldson  showed  very 
full  collections  of  Bremen,  the  Two,  Sicilies, 
Wurtemberg,  Parma,  Romagna,  and  Hol- 
stein,  breaking  ground  also  into  Italy. 
Among  the  plums  of  this  Continental  dish 
the  collector  picked  out  the  ^  tornese  of  the 
Two  Sicilies,  the  two  shades  of  the  70  kr. 
Wrurtemberg,  the  50  and  100  lira,  unused, 
1SS4,  of  Italy,  and  several  fine  Oldenberg. 


The  New  World  found  its  best  exponent  in 
the  Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick,  and  New- 
foundland issues  exhibited  by  the  Rev.  E. 
R.  Hudson.  These  comprised  a  superb 
copy  of  the  6^d.  orange-vermilion,  used,  of 
Newfoundland,  the  1/-  of  the  same  issue, 
but  with  poor  margins,  and  the  1/-  values  of 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick,  the 
latter  also  lacking  environment.  Great 
Britain  was  also  shown  by  the  same  collector, 
the  id.  values  in  mint  and  often  in  pairs. 
Nor  were  West  Indians  forgotten.  Mr.  R.  T. 
Stevens,  the  Society's  vice-president,  con- 
tributed a  fascinating  little  group  of  Antigua, 
Dominica,  St.  Vincent,  and  Tobago — but  a 
little  of  what  he  could  have  shown  had  more 
been  called  for.  And  in  Dr.  Houghton's 
collection  of  Turk's  Island,  a  very  com- 
plete and  choice  lot  of  stamps  had  been  got 
together,  including  as  these  did  several 
varieties,  such  as  a  pair  of  the  ^d.  surcharge 
on  the  4d.  grey.  Africans  were  looked  after 
by  Messrs.  H.  W.  Mayne  and  W.  A.  Walker. 
The  former,  besides  sending  in  some  very 
nice  St.  Helena,  displayed  British  East 
Africa,  inclusive  of  a  pair  of  the  2  anna 
imperf.,  used,  with  Uganda,  used  and  unused. 
Mr.  Mayne  had  also  on  view  an  effective 
mounting  of  Gibraltar,  with  some  of  its 
later  issues  in  pairs  and  strips. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate 
everything  on  the  walls,  but  special  mention 
must  be  made  of  one  of  the  most  interesting 
features  of  the  display.  This  was  the  ex- 
hibit in  a  couple  of  glassed  frames  of  for- 
geries of  rare  stamps,  both  modern  and  old 
{e.g.,  Swiss  Cantonals,  &c).  These  had 
been  most  kindly  sent  by  Messrs.  Alfred 
Smith  &  Co.,  of  London,  and  distinctly 
formed  one  of  the  attractions  of  the  day. 

Lastly,  to  the  Executive  Committee, 
which  carried  out  the  display,  and  in  par- 
ticular to  Dr.  Russel  Rendle  and  Mr.  H.  W. 
Mayne,  the  thanks  and  congratulations  of  all 
present  must  be  heartily  accorded  on  the 
complete  success  of  the  Society's  gathering. 

Herts.  Philatelic  Society.  —  At  a 
special  meeting  held  at  Anderton's  Hotel, 
Fleet  Street.  E.C.,  on  Tuesday,  December 
6th,  the  proposed  alterations  and  additions 
to  the  rules  were  carried  unanimously.  The 
expense  for  reprinting  new  rules  was 
sanctioned.  The  following  gentlemen  were 
elected  members  of  the  Society  :  —  W. 
Brown  as  life  member,  C.  D.  Lord,  W.  H. 
Peckett,  J.  C.  Sidebottom  as  ordinary 
members,  E.  D.  Bacon,  Chas.  J.  Phillips, 
and  W.  A.  S.  Westoby  as  honorary  members ; 
W.  G.  Cook  and  W.  Simpson  were  voted  to 
the  two  vacant  seats  on  the  committee. 

At  the  close  of  business  W.  Simpson  gave 
a  display  of  his  general  collection  and  of 
some  unique  blocks  of  ifr.  France,  1853-6 
issue.  A  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Simpson  for 
his  entertainment  of  members  terminated 
the  meeting. 

The  November  packet  of  the  Society  con- 
tained 32  sheets,  valued  at  ^614  14s.  8Jd. 
H.  A.  Slade,  Hon.  Sec. 

Ingleside,  St.  Albans. 


Part     I. — British     Empire. 


British  Guiana. — We  have  received  the 
5c.  envelopes  of  1894,  surcharged  "two 
cents  "  in  small  block  capitals,  in  black, 
across  the  lower  part  of  the  stamp.  These 
envelopes  exist  in  two  qualities  of  paper — 
thin,  white  tough  wove,  and  azure  wove 
with  blue  granite  surface  inside.  The  sur- 
charge exists  also  both  with  and  without  a 
period  at  the  end. 

Envelopes. 

2C.  on  5c.  white,  35  by  106  mm. 
ac.  on  5c.  azure  „ 

India.— Mr.  A.  W.  Carfield  has  kindly 
sent  us  the  new  3  pies  (quarter  anna)  stamp, 
which  replaces  the  recent  provisional.  The 
head  of  Her  Majesty  is  similar  to  that  on 
the  high  values,  with  India  Postage  in  a 
curved  band  at  the  top,  and  three  pies 
below. 

Adhesive. 
3  pies,  rose  red,  wmk.  star.  perf.  14. 

Malta. — Some  very  pretty  new  values 
have  appeared  here,  which  we  will  illustrate 
shortly. 

A  dhcsives. 
4£d.  dark  brown  ;  perf.  14. 
5d.  vermilion  „ 

2s.  6d.  greenish  grey 
10s.  deep  blue  „ 

New  South  Wales.— Messrs.  Smyth  & 
Nicolls  have  favoured  us  with  specimens  of 
the   £d.,  2^d.,  and  6d.  in  new  colours,  the 


designs  being  unaltered.  Our  correspon- 
dents write  that  the  charge  in  the  6d.  was 
hurriedly  decided  on,  and  only  gazetted  on 
January  17th. 

A  dhcsives. 

id.  green. 
2*d.  blue. 
6d.  orange. 

Virgin  Islands. — Contrary  to  our  ex- 
pectations, which  were  based  on  semi- 
official information,  a  new  set  of  stamps  has 
appeared  here,  so  that  the  Islands  have 
apparently  seceded  from  the  Leeward  Islands 
federation.  A  figure  of  the  Virgin  is  still  the 
central  design,  but  the  stamps  are  not  nearly 
as  pretty  or  artistic  as  the  former  issues. 
They  are  watermarked  Crown  CC.  and 
perf.  14. 

Adhesh'es. 

Jd.  yellow  green. 

Id.  brick  red. 

2*d.  blue. 

4d.  brown. 

6d.  purple. 

7d.  deep  green. 

Is.  yellow  brown. 

5s.  indigo. 

Western  Australia.— The  id.  and  2d. 

are   now  coming  over  in  new  colours,  and 
watermarked  with  a   small    crown  between 
the  letters  W  A,  thus  :  W  &  A. 
Adhesives. 

Id.  rose. 

2d.  yellow,  wmk.  W  <&  A. 


Part     II.      Other     Countries. 


Columbia. — The  20c.  vermilion  of  1884 
is  announced  by  L Ami  des  Tiinbes,  with  the 
surcharge  Vale  un  peso  in  blue. 

Switzerland. — Mr.  A.  W.  Drahn  in- 
forms us  that  the  colour  of  the  5  centimes 
has  been  changed  to  green. 

Adhesive. 
5  centimes,   green. 

Our  Monthly  Packets  of 
New  Issues. 


No.   1,  price  One  Shilling  (postage  extra). 

The  March  Packet  contains  : — 

SIX  VARIETIES  all  unused. 

Viz.  :  Cuba,  surcharged  on  United  States, 
ic.  on  ic.  ;  2^c.  on  2c. ;  3c.  o  ;  3c. ;  5c.  on 
5c. ,  &c. 


No.  2,  price  5s.  (postage  extra). 

The  March  Packet  contains  :— 

14  VARIETIES,  viz.:  Complete  set  of  13 
Nyassa,  1898  (surcharged  on  Mozambique)  ; 
Cuba,  surcharged  on  United  States  10c.  on 
ioc. 

These  packets  are  on  sale  until  March  31-t 
(unless  the  supply  is  previously  exhausted),  and 
are  supplied  only  to  Subscribers  to  the  TlIILA- 
telic  Record  and  Stamp  News.  Similar 
packets  will  be  on  sale  every  month,  and  may 
be  subscribed  lor  in  advance  for  the  year  (Janu- 
ary to  December  inclusive),  at  the  following 
rates:  No.  1  packet.  12s.,  postage  extra:  No.  2 
packet,  60s.,  postage  extra. 

The  subscription  to  the  paper  (5s.  per  annum) 
is  extra.— Bl'HL  &  Co.,  Ltd..  11,  Queen  Vietoiii 
St.,  E.C. 


The  Philatelic  Record 


AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


APRIL,    1899. 


Editorial   Notes. 


NTIL  the  recent  flood  of  surcharges  Brazil  was  always  considered 

amongst  the  model  stamp  issuing  countries  ;  nothing  unnecessary 

was   ever  issued,  and  from  the  year  1843,  when  the  then  Empire  of 

Brazil  issued  its  "bulls  eye"  stamps,  which,  by  the  way,  made  it 

the  first  country  after  Great  Britain  to  issue  stamps,  right  up  to  the 

present  time,  the  country  was  considered    blameless  as  to  reprints.     Now, 

R      ...        however,   our  illusions  are   dispelled   by  the  information  which, 

„      .   ,       with  all  the  accompanying  details,  comes  direct  from  St.  Paulo 

that  the  280  reis,  vermillion  red,  of  1861  (small  upright  figures) 

was  reprinted  in   1886.     The  story  runs  that  the  plates  of  this  issue  were 

preserved  in  the  mint  of  Rio  Janeiro,  where  all  Brazilian  stamps  are  made. 

An  engraver,  whose  name  is  given,  who  was  employed  in  the  establishment, 

managed  clandestinely  to  secure  the  plate  of  the  280  reis,  and  manufactured 

private  reprints   to  the  value  of  200,000  reis.       (This  sounds  a  big  figure, 

"but  it  is  only  200  milreis.     At  that  time  a  milreis  was  about  is.  6d.,  now 

it  is  about  6d.).     He  was  arrested  in   1888,  and  condemned  to  four  years' 

imprisonment,  not  so  much  for  making  reprints  of  an  obsolete  stamp,  but  for 

betraying  the  confidence  of  the  Government  by  using  the  plate,  because  it 

appears  that  the  plate  was  put  back  into  its  proper  place  after  having  been 

used.     The  originals  are  vermillion  red,  and  the  reprints,  so  we  are  informed, 

are  rose  carmine.     It  is  stated  that  no  used  copies  of  the  reprints  have  been 

seen,  and  even  unused  ones  must  be  scarce,  as  the  amount  named  represents 

less  than  800  stamps. 

Such  is  the  story,  but  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Brazilian  Government  can 
still  boast  that  it  has  never  issued  reprints,  as  these  are  quite  unofficial ;  but 
the  strangest  part  to  us  is  that  we  do  not  think  we  have  ever  seen  one  of 
these  stamps  in  rose  carmine.  Should  any  of  our  readers  possess  a  copy,  we 
should  be  much  obliged  if  he  or  she  would  kindly  send  it  for  our  inspection, 
and  it  shall  be  promptly  returned  ;  but  it  is  possible  that  very  few  ever 
reached  the  hands  of  collectors,  as  we  are  not  informed  whether  any  of  these 
reprints  were  found  when  the  engraver  was  arrested. 


78  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Editorial     Interviews, 


BY     THEODOR     BUHL. 


MESSRS.    G.     HAMILT0N  =  SM1TH    &    Co. 

a  DOUBLE  interview  is  rather  an  awkward  affair,  but  it  had  to  be 
done.  The  two  gentlemen  whose  portraits  we  publish  to-day  are 
each  so  much  a  part  of  the  firm  of  G.  Hamilton-Smith  &  Co.  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  publish  an  interview  with  one  of  them  with- 
out mentioning  the  other,  only  that  to-day  our  readers  must  be 
content  with  rather  less  "  interview  "  and  more  of  a  history  of  the  flourishing 
business  which  has  grown  so  rapidly. 

Mr.  G.  Hamilton  Smith  was  born  at  Bristol  in  1870,  and  commenced 
dealing  in  stamps  while  at  school  at  Clifton  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  twelve. 
Ten  years  earlier,  in  i860,  Mr.  Gwyer  saw  the  light  in  the  same  city,  but  his 
philatelic  career  commenced  at  a  much  later  age  than  that  of  his  partner. 

At  the  firm's  comfortable  first-floor  offices  in  Bishopsgate  Street  Within 
we  recently  found  Mr.  Hamilton-Smith,  not  doing  anything  in  particular  at 
that  moment,  and  willing  to  give  us  a  few  minutes'  time,  although  he  had 
"nothing  to  say,"  and  didn't  know  what  we  wanted  to  ask.  The  date  of  his 
first  dealing  efforts  being  already  known  to  us,  we  plunged  at  once  into  Mr. 
Smith's  more  recent  history  as  to  when  and  why  the  ancient  City  of  Bristol 
was  forsaken. 

"  It  was  in  1893,"  said  Mr.  Smith,  "  that  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  was  not  enough  scope  for  stamp  dealing  in  Bristol,  so  I  came  to 
London,  and  opened  up  business  on  my  own  account.  My  first  premises 
were  in  Regent  Street." 

"  At  that  time  you  had  not  yet  secured  a  partner  ?  "  we  queried. 

"No;  it  was  about  five  months  after  I  had  started  that  I  thought  a 
partner  would  be  desirable,  and  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with  Mr. 
Gwyer,  a  very  keen  philatelist.  The  partnership  was  soon  arranged,  and 
has,  I  believe,  been  entirely  satisfactory  to  both  of  us." 

At  this  period  Mr.  Gwyer  entered  the  room,  and  the  conversation 
assumed  a  more  general  tone,  from  which  we  gathered  that  the  removal  to 
Bishopsgate  Street  took  place  at  about  the  same  time  as  the  partnership. 

"  But  why  did  you  leave  Regent  Street  in  favour  of  the  City  ?"  we  asked 
Mr.  Smith. 

"  For  the  reason  that  we  could  not  buy  in  the  West  End.  We  could 
sell  there  well  enough,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  bought.  In  the  City  it  is 
quite  different,  and  we  are  continually  buying." 

"  And  which  was  your  first  big  venture  ?  " 

"  The  purchase  of  Dr.  Viner's  collection,"  said  Mr.  Gwyer;  "  it  contained 
some  fine  things,  and  took  a  lot  of  arranging.  A  portion  of  it  was  sold  by 
auction,  and  realised  ,£"1,500." 

"Before  we  go  further  will  you  give  a  few  details  about  your  own 
philatelic  career  ?  " 

"  I  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of  the  London  Philatelic  Society, 
and  was  simply  a  collector  until  I  met  Mr.  Smith.  I  should  think  I  have 
in  my  time  formed  six  or  seven  collections.     Whenever  my  collection  got  to 


0ur    portrait    Qallerxj. 


MR.    G.    HAMILTON-SMITH. 


MR.    GWYER. 


Editorial    Interviews.  79 

any  size  I  sold  it  and  started  another.  The  pleasure  to  me  was  collecting  the 
stamps,  not  the  mere  possession  of  them,  and  in  my  travels  I  had  many 
opportunities  of  collecting  '  on  the  spot.'  " 

"Is  it  not  partly  owing  to  your  travels  that  you  formed  a  liking  for  the 
stamps  of  the  Straits  Settlements?"  we  asked,  because  "Straits"  are  Mr. 
Gwyer's  strong  point ;  he  is  a  specialist  in  them,  and  the  firm  hold  what  is 
probably  the  best  stock  in  the  world  of  these  interesting  stamps. 

"Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  said  Mr.  Gwyer;  "during  my  residence  in  Singapore, 
Malacca,  and  Penang  I  picked  up  many  of  the  best  things  we  have  now." 

Much  more  than  this  we  gathered  in  the  few  minutes  at  our  disposal. 
The  firm  of  Hamilton  Smith  &  Co.  do  not  believe  in  great  rarities — when 
they  get  them  they  try  to  sell  them  quickly  ;  neither  do  they  believe  in  very 
common  stamps,  and  as  to  "wholesale" — not  at  any  price.  Their 
favourite  stamps  are  the  medium  article,  betweed  id.  and  ^10  each,  but  the 
business  is  progressive,  and  as  the  clients  increase  the  field  may  be  widened. 
Besides  Dr.  Viner's,  the  firm  have  recently  purchased  two  other  collections 
for  ;£i,8oo,  and  Mr.  Smith  informed  us  that  trade  is  very  good,  with  good 
prospects  for  the  future.  Most  of  the  business  is  done  by  post,  but  sometimes 
there  is  a  rush  of  "cash  trade  "  to  the  Bishopsgate  Street  establishment,  and 
as  many  as  five  members  of  the  London  Philatelic  Society  have  been  there 
at   one  time. 

"  You  buy  largely  at  auctions  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply  from  both  partners,  "we  buy  more  at  sales  for 
ourselves  than  anyone  else." 

"  And  the  approximate  value  of  your  stock  ?  "  we  queried. 

The  reply  was  in  good  round  figures,  and  the  partners  informed  us  that 
their  business  has  been  so  successful  that  they  reckon  their  present  stock 
costs  them  just  about  nothing. 

"  Do  you  publish  a  price  list  ?  " 

This  was  one  of  our  stereotyped  questions,  and  we  gathered  that  Messrs. 
Hamilton  Smith  &  Co.  publish  what  they  term  a  "spasmodic"  price  list, 
which  appears  just  when  it  suits  them,  and  contains  prices  for  any  goods  they 
may  have  to  sell  at  the  moment. 

As  to  their  belief  in  catalogues,  for  the  two  partners  seem  to  think  as  one, 
they  think  them  very  good  "  as  a  means  of  buying." 

The  teetotal  partner  suggested  an  adjournment  to  the  hostelry  next  door, 
but  as  our  time  was  precious  we  declined  the  honour,  and  left  with  the 
knowledge  that  we  had  interviewed  a  most  enterprising  young  firm  which 
appears  to  have  a  big  future  before  it. 


8o  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Fiscal  Notes. 

Contributed  by  A.  PRESTON  PEARCE. 

'HE  very  great  increase  of  interest  now  being  manifested  in  the  revenue 
stamps  of  this  and  of  other  countries  has  become  matter  of 
general  observation,  and,  although  the  full  extent  of  the  movement 
is  unknown,  even  to  those  who  are  in  the  centre  of  it,  there  is  no 
longer  any  doubt  of  the  fact  that  collectors  of  fiscals  are  about  to 
see  their  section  of  the  hobby  placed  on  an  established  and  thoroughly 
recognized  footing. 

Hitherto — and  more  especially  in  this  country — fiscals  have  been  regarded 
by  the  vast  majority  of  unreflecting  philatelists  as  mere  rubbish,  and,  sadder 
still,  these  same  philatelists  have  united  with  "the  trade  "in  resolutely  refusing" 
to  give  collectors  a  ghost  of  a  chance,  and  in  snubbing  and  boycotting  them 
as  though  they  were  enemies  of  their  kind. 

Of  course  there  have  been  exceptions,  and  most  collectors  know  that 
several  of  Philately's  most  honoured  sons  have  taken,  and  do  take,  much  in- 
terest in  fiscals.  Now,  however,  the  explorations  in  the  rich  fields  that  await  the 
prospectors  are  not  to  be  conducted  solely  by  a  very  few,  and  it  is  in  recogni- 
tion of  the  fact  that  notes  on  revenue  stamps  will  now  be  acceptable  to  a 
large  and  ever  increasing  number,  that  I  have  been  asked  by  our  Editor  to 
supply  a  page  or  so  of  matter  each  month. 

I  am  pleased  to  announce  that  there  are  no  cut  and  dried  restrictions  as 
to  the  character  of  the  "  copy,"  and  that  I  have  no  intention  of  laying  out  the 
available  space,  or  of  arranging  a  plan  of  campaign.  One  month  you  may 
be  treated  to  a  series  of  short  paragraphs,  ranging  over  most  of  the  earth's 
surface,  and  next  time  may  have  to  put  up  with  a  solid  double-column  dis- 
quisition on  the  perforating  machines  used — and  abused — by  the  Japanese. 
However,  if  I  make  no  promises  in  this  respect,  I  must  say  that  I  shall 
always  be  delighted  to  receive  communications  from  collectors  who  have  any- 
thing of  special  interest  to  bring  before  their  brethren,  and  if  it  necessitates 
the  use  of  an  illustration  to  elucidate  the  matter  I  believe  that  our  Editor  will 
be  good  enough  to  admit  it. 


We  fiscalists  are  accustomed  to  take  quite  a  special  interest  in  the  annual 
Budget  speech  of  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  and,  as  at  the  time  of 
writing  these  Notes*  it  appears  only  too  probable  that  new  or  increased 
taxation  is  inevitable,  it  may  well  happen  that  the  forthcoming  deliverance 
of  Sir  Michael  E.  Hicks-Beach  will  contain  something  of  immediate  concern 
to  us  other  than  that  common  to  all  taxpayers. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  recalled  that  the  attractive  little  stamps  of 
the  Transfer  Duty  series,  first  issued  in  1888,  were  colloquially  known  as 
"  Goschens,"  being  named  after  their  creator.  If  Sir  Michael  gives  us  a 
new  series  of  Customs  labels  they  might  most  appropriately  be  styled 
"  Beaches." 


[:|:These  notes  were  written  for  the  March  Record,  but  had  to  be  held 
over  until  this  month.  Perhaps  Mr.  Pearce  will  tell  us  something  about  the 
new  British  stamp  duties  in  his  next  contribution. — Ed.] 


Fiscal  Notes. 


Mr.  E.  W.  Wetherell,  who  is  known  to  most  collectors  in  this  country,  is 
now  in  India,  and  is  actively  pursuing  the  hobby.  He  claims  that  it  is 
possible  to  plate  the  native  issues  of  Mysore,  and  promises  detailed  informa- 
tion on  the  completion  of  his  researches  in  this  direction.  I  should  think  it 
would  not  be  a  difficult  task  to  plate  the  native  issues  of  Berars,  for  a  hap- 
hazard score  of  specimens  are  almost  sure  to  exhibit  a  dozen  palpable 
varieties. 


Not  so  very  long  ago  I  was  assuring  a  most  courteous  correspondent  in 
Newfoundland  that  our  cousins  in  that  Colony  were  exceptionally  favoured 
in  not  being  subject  to  pay  stamp  duties,  but  he  now  informs  me  that  we 
must  open  a  fresh  place  in  our  albums  for  the  reception  of  a  series  ranging 
from  5  cents  to  25  dollars,  which  has  just  been  emitted.  I  am  expecting 
further  information  from  official  sources,  and,  if  received  and  found  to  be  of 
interest,  it  shall  be  summarised  for  a  later  issue. 

That  there  is  an  intimate  connection  between  postage  stamps  and  letters 
goes  without  saying,  but  it  would  be  a  very  exceptional  thing  to  find  the 
latter  on  the  back  of  the  former,  especially  if  it  were  evident  that  it  had  not 
been  done  for  the  sake  of  the  doing.  However,  from  the  last  packet  of  the 
Fiscal  Club  I  took  for  my  collection  an  unusually  nice  and  well-centered  copy 
of  the  6/9  beer  duty  stamp  of  New  South  Wales,  which  bears  on  the  reverse 
quite  a  lengthy  communication  of  a  personal  character.  I  must  admit  that 
the  label  is  of  an  unusual  size. 


In  these  days  of  specializing  it  is  only  natural  that  I  should  be  asked 
every  now  and  then  for  the  name  of  the  country  whose  emissions  are  most 
worthy  of  special  attention,  and  if  I  find  that  my  questioner  has  no  excep- 
tional opportunities  of  procuring  the  stamps  of  any  particular  region,  I 
invariably  recommend   Mexico.     It  is   true  that  this  country  has  recently 


:     -;::., 


Hi 


fallen  somewhat  from  its  high  estate  by  the  ecoulement  of  certain  remainders, 
but  I  know  of  no  other  which  so  fully  meets  all  the  requirements  of  the  bud- 
ding specialist.  The  exigencies  of  space  forbid  further  dilatation  at  this 
moment,  but  in  all  probability  I  shall  frequently  recur  to  the  subject. 

As  may  be  surmised,  I  have  personally  paid  considerable  attention  to  the 
stamps  of  this  Republic,  and  have  been  rewarded  by  several  discoveries  of 
some  interest.  Perhaps  the  most  striking  of  these  is  conveyed  in  the  announce- 
ment that  there  are  two  distinct  types  of  the  lowest  value  of  the  1876  issue 
of  Documentos  y  Libros.  It  appears  to  me  that,  after  the  required  supply 
of  all  the  values  except  the  25  centavos,  and  possibly  the  10  pesos  (which 
latter  I  do  not  possess),  had  been  printed,  it  was  discovered  that  the  engraver 
had  omitted  to  complete  the  ear  of  the  patriot,  Jose  Marie  Morelos,  whose 


82 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


portrait  occupies  the  centre  of  the  design.  On  all  the  specimens  of  the 
3,  5,  10  and  50  centavos,  and  1  and  5  pesos,  this  important  feature  will  be 
found  to  be  a  mere  daub. 

The  first  printing  of  the  1  centavo  shows  the  same  unfortunate  blunder, 
but  it  was  subsequently  rectified  in  the  case  of  this  value,  and  all  the  speci- 
mens of  the  25  centavos  that  I  have  encountered  are  correctly  drawn. 

The  illustrations  appended  exhibit  the  two  types  which,  once  known,  are 
distinguishable  at  a  glance.  It  will  also  be  found  that  the  white  line  bordering 
the  collar  and  lapel  of  the  coat  is  much  less  pronounced  in  the  re-engraved 
variety. 

All  communications  in  respect  of  this  page  should  be  addressed  to  25,   Washingtott 

Terrace,  Afutley,  Plymouth. 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition,  Manchester,  1899.     83 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition, 
Manchester,   1899. 


Since  the  publication  of  the  prospectus,  the  following  additional  medals 
have  been  accepted  by  the  committee. 

Bradford  Philatelic  Society. 

One  silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the  best  exhibits  by  a  resident  in 
Yorkshire. 

Liverpool  Philatelic  Society. 

One  silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the  best  exhibits  from  Liverpool 
and  District  (i.e.,  within  a  radius  of  15  miles). 

Plymouth  Philatelic  Society. 

One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  uncatalogued  varieties  shown  in 
class  2,  consisting  of  stamps  issued  up  to  the  end  of  1896,  and  not  catalogued 
by  Stanley  Gibbons  or  Scott. 

Nederlandsche    Vereeniging     Van     Postzegelverzamelaars, 

Amsterdam. 
One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  by  a  Dutch  collector. 

SOCIETA    FlLATELICA    LoMBARDA. 

One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  Italian  States. 
Societe  Francaise  de  Timbrologie. 
One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  France  or  colonies. 
Messrs.  Bright  &  Son. 


84  The  Philatelic  Record. 

One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  Holland  in  Class  2. 

Messrs.  Butler  Brothers. 

One  bronze  medal  for  the  best  collection  of  not  less  than  2,000  varieties 
shown  by  a  boy  or  girl  under  16,  and  attending  school. 

Messrs.  Winch  Brothers. 

One  bronze  medal  for  the  best  and  most  accurate  colour  chart,  con- 
sisting of  genuine  Government  postal  issues,  with  colours  named,  Seebecks, 
reprints,  locals,  and  forgeries,  being  excluded. 

Mr.  Ernst  Stock. 

One  gold  and  one  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibits  of  German  States, 
in  unused  condition,  regard  being  paid  to  the  pristine  beauty  of  the  specimens 
shown,  as  well  as  to  their  rarity. 

By  the  courtesy  of  the  Hon.  Sec.  we  are  enabled  to  illustrate  the  design 
of  the  medals,  of  which  there  are  no  less  than  160,  and  we  hope  that  many 
of  these  will  fall  to  the  share  of  our  readers. 


®W 


The  Brooklyn  Exhibition.  85 

The     Brooklyn     Exhibition    of 
Postage  and  Revenue  Stamps, 

(From  the  Philatelic  Monthly  and  World.) 

^^ERSEVERANCE,  hard  work,  and  untiring  energy  has  achieved 
wonders.  Handicapped  by  weather,  the  rush  season  of  the  year, 
insufficient  help,  and  numerous  other  obstacles,  the  exhibition  was 
opened  as  promised,  and  proved  more  than  a  success.  To  the 
committees  in  charge  and  the  different  exhibitors  too  much  credit 
cannot  be  given  for  their-efforts  and  their  successful  termination. 

The  exhibition  was  held  in  the  Art  Rooms,  at  174,  Montague  St., 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  It  opened  March  18th,  and  was  supposed  to  close  March 
31st ;  but  owing  to  the  enormous  quantities  of  small  boys  who  flocked  there 
on  Children's  Day,  and  the  evident  disappointment  of  those  who  were  refused 
admission  on  account  of  the  crowd,  it  was  unanimously  decided  to  remain 
open  another  day. 

Mr.  Alexander  Holland  made  an  address  of  welcome,  which  was  well 
received.  Although  a  most  dismal  rain  prevailed  a  large  and  enthusiastic 
number  of  collectors  were  present,  including  a  number  of  ladies.  Invitations 
had  been  sent  to  President  McKinley,  Postmaster  General  Smith,  3rd  Assis- 
tant Postmaster  General  Merritt,  Governor  Roosevelt,  and  other  men  of 
prominence. 

The  following  afternoon  the  judges  met,  and  awarded  prizes  as  follows  : 

CLASS     I. 

Division  i. 

Group  A.  Bronze  Medal. 

Charles  R.  Braine,  Jr.,  for  stamps  of  the  United  States. 

"  Ne  Plus  Ultra  Album,"  sunk  mounts. 

John  D.  Carberry,  for  stamps  of  the  United  States. 

1899  National  Album,  full  morocco. 

P.  Elbert  Nostrand,  for  stamps  of  the  United  States. 

Frank  D.  Moffat,  One  and  Two  Cent  Justice  Department,  unused, 
for  second  best  exhibit. 

Group  B.  Bronze  Medal. 
Clarence  H.  Eagle,  for  United  States  revenue  stamps. 

Honorable  Mention. 
Alexander  Holland,  for  private  proprietary  stamps. 
Joseph  S.  Rich,  for  telegraph  stamps. 

Group  C.  Bronze  Medal. 
David  S.  Wells,  for  stamps  of  the  United  States  Colonies. 

Honorable  Mention. 
John  N.  Luff,  for  stamps  of  Hawaiian  Islands. 


86  The  Philatelic  Record. 

Group  D.  Bronze  Medal. 

George   W.    Ring,    for    stamps   of  the   British    Colonies   in    Western 
Hemisphere. 

International  Album,   two  volumes,  half  morocco. 

Charles  R.   Braine,  Jr.,  for  stamps  of  New   Brunswick   and   Nova 
Scotia. 

Division  ii. 

Group  A.  Bronze  Medal. 

Dr.  Thaddeus  P.  Hyatt,  for  stamps  of  Scandinavia. 

Best  Blank  Album. 

P.  Elbert  Nostrand,  for  stamps  of  Turkey. 

Honorable  Mention. 

David  S.  Wells,  for  stamps  of  European  Countries. 

Honorable  Mention. 

P.  F.  Bruner,  for  plated  stamps  of  Switzerland. 

Group  B. 
Joseph  Holland,  for  stamps  of  Sarawak  and  Siam. 

"  Ne  Plus  Ultra  Stamp  Cleanser  and  Hinge  Remover." 
Oliver  C.  Drew,  for  stamps  of  British  Colonies  in  Asia  and  Africa. 

CLASS     II. 

DEALERS. 

Bronze  Medal. 
Edgar  Nelton,  for  stamps  of  British  North  America. 

Honorable  Mention. 
A.  Krassa,  for  display  of  United  States  proofs. 
Scott  Stamp  &  Coin  Co.,  Ltd. 

CLASS     III. 
Division  i. 

Bronze  Medal. 
Mrs.  Frederick  A.  Hoyt. 

Bronze  Medal. 
Miss  Elizabeth  Nostrand. 

For  most  meritorious  exhibit  shown,  H.  A.  Talbot,  one  subscription  to 
Catalogue  for  Advanced  Collectors. 

For  most  tastefully  arranged  exhibit  by  a  boy  under  fifteen,  L.  A.  Thuning, 
set  of  United  States  Revenues. 

For  most  meritorious  exhibit  shown  by  a  member  of  the  Section  on 
Philately,  Alex.  Holland,  one  bronze  medal. 

For  exhibit  showing  most  scientific  arrangement,  J.  W.  George,  for  Private 
Proprietary  Stamps,  One  Gold  Medal. 

In  all  cases  where  more  than  one  exhibit  received  an  award  in  any  group, 
the  exhibits  were  judged  of  equal  merit. 

A  visitor  on  entering  the  rooms  would  be  interested  in  the  diversity  of 
colors  and  shades  that  would  meet  the  eye.  Turning  to  the  left  he  would 
notice  a  rather  curious  exhibit  of  stamps  and  envelopes  used  in  the  late  war, 
from  Cuba,  the  different  camps,  soldiers'  letters,  etc.,  shown  by  Mr.  W.  J. 
Brennan.     A  frame  containing  stamps,  supposed  to  be  the  most  beautiful, 


The  Brooklyn  Exhibition.  87 

exhibited  by  Geo.  J.  Carter,  attracted  much  attention  from  non-philatelists. 
The  page  of  Tonga,  exhibited  by  A.  L.  Thuning,  15  years  old,  deserved  well 
the  prize  it  received  for  neatness  in  mounting.  The  exhibition  of  Swiss  plates 
by  P.  F.  Bruner,  and  of  Great  Britain  id.  and  2d.  plates  by  Alexander 
Holland,  attracted  the  attention  of  specialists,  and  excited  much  interest  from 
new  collectors,  who  wondered  at  a  person  collecting  "  so  many  just  alike." 

To  the  lover  of  rarities,  however,  the  frames  exhibited  by  Edgar  Nelton 
appealed  with  peculiar  force.  British  North  America  was  his  specialty. 
Newfoundland  scarlets  and  oranges  were  common.  Three  or  four  New 
Brunswick  shillings,  Nova  Scotia  shillings  of  varied  hue,  the  6d.  yellow  and 
ochre,  all  kinds  of  splits,  pairs  and  strips  on  the  originals  were  especially 
noticeable.  One  frame  exhibited  by  the  same  gentleman,  showing  variations 
in  the  designs  of  British  Colonials,  contained  the  4.6..,  8d.,  2sh.  Ceylon,  imper- 
forated, unused. 

Zanzibar  and  Tonga,  exhibited  by  O.  C.  Drew,  were  striking  examples  of 
neatness  in  mounting. 

The  stamps,  however,  best  represented  were  the  United  States.  In  the 
regular  postage  stamps,  the  exhibit  of  Mr.  Chas.  R.  Braine  was  the  best,  as 
it  showed  the  departments  complete.  The  stamps  exhibited  by  J.  D.  Car- 
berry,  however,  were  a  close  second,  the  complete  sets  of  newspapers  being  a 
special  feature. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  exhibits  was  that  of  Mr.  C.  H.  Eagle,  of 
United  States  Revenues  imperforate.  These  stamps  were  shown  in  pairs, 
strips  and  blocks,  and  made  a  most  beautiful  appearance.  Pairs  of  the  ic. 
playing  cards,  $200.00,  and  the  $1.30,  $1.60,  $1.90,  all  were  shown. 

One  of  the  most  popular  awards  was  the  gold  medal  to  Mr.  J.  W.  George 
for  the  exhibit  showing  most  scientific  arrangement.  This  gentleman 
exhibited  a  magnificent  collection  of  private  proprietary,  match  and  medicine 
stamps,  which  for  condition  can  never  be  surpassed. 

Children's  Day,  March  25th,  is  a  day  which  will  long  live  in  the 
memories  of  Messrs.  Holland  and  Briggs,  who  were  in  charge  at  the 
exhibition.  Our  publishers  had  decided  to  give  away  1,000  packets  contain- 
ing from  200  to  400  stamps.  Every  fifth  package  contained  a  prize.  A 
postal  card  was  also  given  away,  on  the  presentation  of  which  a  rebate  of  ten 
cents  was  allowed  on  a  twenty-five  cent  package. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  doors  were  opened,  and  the  rush  of  children  began. 
The  gentlemen  in  charge  were  literally  taken  off  their  feet  by  the  flood  of 
small  boys. 

After  securing  a  package  the  children  would  wander  around  looking  at 
the  frames  until  they  saw  stamps  they  had,  when  a  rush  would  be  made,  and 
a  frame  would  be  obscured  from  view  while  the  small  boy  pointed  out  to 
friends  the  stamp  he  had.  It  was  estimated  that  from  2,500  to  3,000  children 
saw  the  exhibit,  March  25th. 

The  exhibition  concluded  as  well  as  it  began.  Its  good  results  will  be 
incalculable.  It  has  unquestionably  revived  interest  in  stamps  among  many, 
and  started  more.  While  no  doubt  the  exhibit  could  be  improved  on,  for  a 
first  attempt  it  has  been  more  of  a  success  than  any  could  have  predicted. 
To  all  who  have  loaned  their  time  and  assistance  the  heartiest  thanks  of  all 
philatelists  is  due. 


88  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 

BY 

C.   FORBES  (Secretary  and  Librarian,  Central  Philatelic  Club). 
{Continued  from  page  63). 


I 


1887  provisional  issue. 

N  this  year  a  provisional  stamp  was  made  by  cutting  in  half  horizontally 
the  10  shahi  of  the  1876  head  type,  and  surcharging  the  upper  and 
lower  halves  with  the  inscription  "5  shahi^"  or  "5  shahy "  in 
black  or  greenish   black  ink. 


Type  of  1S77  provisional. 
Black  surcharge. 
5  shahi  on  upper  half  of  1876  issue  (head  issue). 
5  ,,       lower  ,,  ,, 

5  shahy  on  upper  half  of  1876  issue. 
5  ,,       lower  ,,  ,, 

"  Greenish  Black  "  surcharge. 
5  shahi  on  upper  half  of  1876  issue. 
5  ,,       lower  ,,  ,, 

5  shahy  on  upper  half  of  1876  issue. 
5  ,,       lower  ,,  ,. 

Note. — This  surcharge  being  merely  hand  stamped  is  to  be  found 
varying  somewhat  in  the  thickness  of  the  type. 

It  is  very  important,  however,  to  point  out  to  collectors  that  this  pro- 
visional stamp,  although  it  can  be  found  on  pieces  of  original  envelope  post- 
marked, is  not  an  official  issue  ;  they  were  issued  by  the  then  postmaster  of 
Teheran  for  speculative  purposes,  and  were  never  officially  used  or  sanctioned  ; 
in  fact,  as  soon  as  their  issue  became  known  to  the  Persian  officials,  the 
remainder  were  seized  and  destroyed. 

Note. — These  stamps  in  the  writer's  opinion  should  be  eliminated  from 
all  catalogues  as  an  official  issue,  as  their  insertion  is  misleading  to  collectors. 
I  should  advise  their  being  placed  (if  it  is  necessary  to  catalogue  them  at  all) 
at  the  end  of  the  catalogues  amongst  other  bogus  issues,  etc.,  of  other 
countries.  A  number  of  these  stamps  have  been  placed  on  the  market  lately 
unused,  with  a  surcharge  in  heavy  thick  type  and  black  ink.  It  is  needless  to 
point  out  that  these  surcharges  are  absolutely  bogus. 

1878.     Fourth  issue. 
During   the    latter    part   of    1878,    the    1876   issue   became   somewhat 
exhausted,   and   although   orders   had    been    given  to   the   Austrian    postal 
authorities  for  a  new  series  of  stamps,  the  old  dies  of  the  1875  lion  type  were 
again  brought  into  use  temporarily. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  89 

The  values  reprinted  from  these  dies  were  1  kr.,  4  kr.,  5  kr.,  and  1  toman. 
The  dies  of  the  1  shahi,  which  were  used  for  printing  the  1  kran  and  1 
toman  values,  becoming  now  somewhat  worn,  they  were  slightly  recut,  and  a 
broad  white  circle  was  made  round  the  figures  of  value  in  the  four  corners. 
The  insertion  of  these  circles  enables  collectors  to  easily  extinguish  the  1 
kran  of  this  issue  from  the  1  kran  stamps  of  the  1876  issue. 


Im 

perforate  :  Paper  white  wove. 

I 

kran 

carmine. 

I 

,, 

pale  carmine. 

I 

" 

deep  red. 
Paper  yellow  wove 

I 

kran 

carmine. 

I 

,, 

deep  red. 

>ei 

•  white  wove,  also  grey  and 

greyish  white 

4 

kran 

light  blue. 

4 

,, 

grey  blue. 

4 

,, 

ultramarine. 

4 

, , 

dark  blue. 

5 

kran 

slate  violet. 

5 

lilac. 

5 

. . 

brown  lilac. 

5 

,, 

bronze. 

5 

red  bronze. 

5 

,, 

gold. 

1 

toman,  gold. 

1 

» 

bronze. 
On  blue  paper. 

1 

toman,  gold. 

1 

" 

bronze. 

Varieties. 
Ttte  Beche. 

1 

kran, 

carmine  on  yellow. 

Showing  thumb  mark  of 

printer. 

4 

kran, 

grey  blue. 

4 

,, 

blue. 

4 

, , 

ultramarine. 

5 

,, 

red  bronze. 

Note. — In  printing  the  stamps  of  this  issue,  the  dies  A,  B,  C,  D  were 
used  for  the  1  kran  and  1  toman  stamps  ;  for  the  4  kran  values  dies  A,  B,  C, 
only  of  the  4  shahi  were  printed  from.  The  5  krans  were  printed  from  dies 
A,  B,  and  D  of  the  8  shahi,  the  figures  and  Arabic  characters  being  erased, 
and  the  figure  5  under  the  lion,  together  with  the  Arabic  characters  for  this 
numeral,  being  substituted  in  the  circles  in  the  four  corners. 

This  interesting  issue  of  stamps,  which  is,  more  strictly  speaking,  a 
provisional  one,  were  all  printed  from  the  plates  by  Persian  workmen  by 
hand.  All  the  stamps  were  issued  imperforate.  Mr.  Riederer  and  the  other 
Austrian  postal  officials  having  returned  to  Vienna,  they  were  consequently 
printed  in  a  very  slovenly  and  careless  manner,  and  no  attempt  was  ever  made 
at  perforating  them,  as  this  would  have  called  for  too  much  exertion  on  the 
part  of  the  Persian  workmen.  No  printing  machines  were  used  ;  the  dies 
were  simply  bound  together,  inked  by  hand,  and  printed  from  in  strips  and 
blocks  of  three  and  four.  As  regards  the  kinds  of  papers  used — why  should 
they  buy  any  quantity  at  a  time  so  as  to  have  one  kind  only  ?  Where  was 
the  need  ?  Did  not  they  have  the  bazaars  close  at  hand  to  replenish  the 
stock  when  needed  ?  Thus,  in  the  case  of  the  1  kran,  when  white  paper  could 
not  be  got,  they  used  yellow  ;  and  later,  when  printing  the  4  and  5  krans, 
first  white  was  used,  and  when  that  was  not  obtainable,  greyish  white,  and 
finally,  grey  paper  was  used ;  and  last,  when  printing  the  1  toman  stamps, 
they  had  finally  to  resort  to  blue  paper. 

In  the  inks  used  also,  why  should  they  trouble  to  mix  large  quantities  so 
as   to   get   the   exact   colours  ?     There   really  should  have   been   only   one 


9o 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


colour  for  each  value,  viz.,  carmine  for  the  i  kran,  blue  for  the  4  krans, 
violet  or  lilac  for  the  5  krans,  and  gold  for  the  1  toman ;  but,  as 
they  continually  mixed  fresh  inks  as  they  were  wanted,  all  the  different 
shades  cropped  up,  and  in  the  5  krans,  when  they  were  unable  to  obtain 
neither  lilac  or  violet,  they  mixed  the  red  of  the  1  kran  with  the  gold  of  the 
1  toman,  and  made  a  mixture  of  the  two,  which  we  can  call  by  no  other  name 
than  red-bronze.  In  printing  the  stamps  also,  the  plates  were  simply  inked, 
and  the  paper,  being  cut  in  strips,  was  pressed  on  them  by  hand,  and  when 
they  grew  tired  of  this  the  foot  was  called  into  use,  and  used  to  press  the  paper 
on  to  the  plates.  So  long  as  they  had  impressions  of  one  sort  or  another,  it 
did  not  matter  to  them  whether  they  were  perfect  or  not.  The  writer  has  in 
his  collection  specimens — especially  of  the  5  krans — which  show  plainly 
distinct  thumb  marks,  and  very  little  else,  showing  that  no  trouble  was  taken 
to  see  that  the  ink  on  the  stamps  was  dry  before  they  were  handled.  Others 
show  impressions  on  both  sides  of  the  paper.  In  this  case,  you  see,  when 
they  had  an  impression  which,  in  their  opinion,  was  very  bad,  they  turned  the 
paper  over  and  used  the  other  side  !  Was  ever  such  a  system  in  vogue  in 
printing  stamps  in  any  other  country  ?  We  think  not.  What  other  country, 
except  Persia,  would  be  guilty  of  such  iniquities  ? 


THE  LATE  DR.  VON  STEPHAN. 

Unveiling   of    Monument    in    Berlin. 

(Through  Reuter's  Agency.) 

The  unveiling  took  place,  in  the  Dome 
Hall  of  the  Postal  Museum,  of  the  monu- 
ment of  the  late  Dr.  Von  Stephan,  the  first 
Postmaster  General  ot  the  German  Empire. 
Several  speeches  were  delivered  on  the 
occasion. 

Herr  Sachse,  formerly  Director  of  the 
Imperial  Post  Office,  dilated  on  Stephan's 
eminent  services,  which,  he  said,  had  also 
been  recognised  abroad,  for  at  the  Congress 
of  Washington  in  1897  t^ie  lale  Postmaster 
was  alluded  to  as  the  soul  of  the  postal 
world,  and  as  the  Bismarck  of  the  Post. 

After  the  monument  had  been  formally 
handed  over  to  and  accepted  by  General 
Podbielsky,  the  present  Postmaster  General 
of  the  Empire,  the  latter  delivered  a  speech, 
in  which  he  lauded  Stephan  as  the  creator 
of  the  universal  postal  union,  and  exhorted 
the  postal  officials  of  to-day  to  devote  them- 
selves with  untiring  energy  to  the  furtherance 
of  means  of  communication  in  the  Empire. 
General  Podbielsky  concluded  by  saying  that 
they  could  not  do  better  than  adhere  to  the 
plan  which  Von  Stephan  had  prescribed  of 
always  keeping  the  postal  service  of  the 
Empire  in  the  very  front  rank. 

Philatelists  will  be  interested  to  learn 
(says  the  Madras  Standard)  that  the  Feder- 
ated Malay  States  will  use  their  own  stamps 
on  letters,  etc.,  for  all  parts  of  the  world, 
when  transmitted  through  the  post  office  of 
the  Straits  Settlements  from  January  1st.  It 
is  likely  that  Johore  will  conclude  a  similar 
arrangement  with  the  British  Post  Office. 
Up  to  date  these  Malay  States  stamps  have 
only  been  able  to  be  used  for  postage  on 
letters  between  the  individual  States. 

A  big  find  of  New  Zealands  was  recently 
made  in  Wellington.  Amongst  the  lot  were 
no  less  than  2, 100  2d.  blue  1S65.  300  2d.  large 
star  1S73,  and  any  quantity  of  Pelure's  N.Z. 
watermarks,  etc.  The  whole  lot,  the  good 
with  the  bad,  have  been  purchased  by  our 
local  firm,  and  the  lucky  finder  will  soon  be 
in  the  possession  of  almost  enough  funds 
for  a  trip  to  England  by  their  sale.  Talking 
of  lucky  finds,  the  following  cutting  from 
an  American  paper  is  interesting: — "  Another 
lucky  strike  of  a  rare  stamp  was  made  many 
years  ago  by  Mr.  Francis  Foster,  of  Boston, 
who  now  has  a  collection  of  stamps  worth 
thousands  of  dollars,  and  second   to  a  very 


few,  if  any,  in  New  England.  While  walk- 
ing along  Washington  Street  one  day,  he  was 
accosted  by  a  young  boy  with  a  Brattleboro 
local  stamp  on  the  original  cover,  who 
wanted  75  cents  for  it.  In  those  days  the 
local  postmaster  stamps  were  not  particularly 
desired  by  the  few  collectors,  and  he  refused 
to  buy  it.  The  boy  followed  after  him  and 
reduced  the  price  to  60  cents,  and  seemed 
very  much  hurt  when  he  again  refused  it, 
Mr.  Foster  thought  that  probably  the  boy 
was  really  in  distress  for  the  money,  and 
that  if  he  favoured  him  this  time  he  might, 
sooner  or  later,  bring  round  something  good 
in  postage  stamps.  He  turned  and  whistled 
for  the  boy  to  come  back,  made  him  happy 
with  the  60  cents,  and  to-day  500  dollars 
wouldn't  buy  that  stamp  from  Mr.  Foster. 
It  is  one  of  the  great  rarities  of  this  coun- 
try." 

The  sale  of  the  Painter  Collection  in 
New  York  appears  to  have  been  the  most 
important  of  the  season  in  the  United  States, 
and  it  was  attended  by  collectors  and  dealers 
from  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  even 
from  Canada.  Prices  ruled  high,  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  following  paragraph  in  the 
Aletropoli/an  Philatelist  : — 

"  The  auction  emphasized  the  return  to 
prosperity  in  the  stamp  business.  Dozens  of 
collectors  and  small  dealers  living  in  se- 
cluded parts  of  the  country  sent  bids  on 
from  one  to  five  hundred  lots  and  failed  to 
secure  a  single  stamp,  and  yet  their  bids 
averaged  at  about  prices  which  prevailed 
six  months  ago.  A  large  number  of  stamps 
sold  at  over  catalogue  prices,  although 
seventy-five  per  cent,  of  catalogue  appears 
to  be  the  general  estimate  of  value." 

The  craze  for  collecting  minor  varieties  is 
getting  rather  overdone  in  the  United  States 
just  now.  Someone  has  discovered  that 
some  of  the  sheets  of  the  ic.  stamps  sur- 
charged "  Porto  Rico  "  have  the  last  "  O  " 
broken  in  one  of  the  stamps,  making  it  look 
something  like  a  "  U,"  and  that  the  2c.  have 
the  same  in  the  second  "  O  "  of  "  Porto." 
Other  equally  trifling  varieties  are  mentioned, 
but  we  do  not  think  them  worth  collecting. 

The  Brazilian  letter  of  the  Revue  Phila- 
telique  Francaise   states    that    the   following 
journal  stamps  of  1890  have  been  surcharged : 
500  reis,  yellow  surcharged  1000  in  green. 
700  reis,  yellow  surcharged  1000  in  green. 
1000  reis,  yellow  surcharged  2000  in  green. 
50  reis,  orange  surcharged    100  in  violet. 
200  reis,  black  surcharged  300  in  violet. 


92 


The  Philatelic  Record, 


The  Director-General  of  Posts  for  Cuba 
has  made  application  to  the  department  for 
a  supply  of  2C.  and  5c.  envelopes,  which  is 
being  favourably  reported  on.  They  will  be 
manufactured  by  the  Plimpton-Morgan  Co., 
and  designs  have  been  called  for.  The 
design  will  probably  be  head  of  Liberty, 
similar  to  the  one  on  the  §20  gold  piece. 
Mr.  Elliott  has  also  made  application  for 
25,000  8c.  stamps,  and  also  a  supply  of  post- 
age due  stamps.  It  is  probable  that  his 
wishes  will  be  complied  with,  and  a  supply 
sent  to  the  island  at  an  early  date,  although 
no  action  has  been  taken  in  the  matter  as 
yet.— Metropolitan  Philatelist. 

Major  Rathbone,  of  Cuba,  is  indeed  an 
enterprising  man,  and  from  all  appearance 
will  not  fail  to  keep  us  supplied  with  novelties 
for  some  time  to  come.  Special  delivery 
stamps  will  be  the  next  innovation  in  Cuba. 
An  order  has  been  received  for  10,000  of 
these  stamps  surcharged  "  Cuba,  10  Centavos 
de  Pesos,"  and  as  soon  as  the  stamps  arrive 
the  system  will  be  inaugurated  in  Havana. 
If  successful  there  it  will  be  extended  to  the 
principal  cities  throughout  the  island. 
It  is  the  purpose  of  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment to  get  up  a  distinctive  stamp  of  the 
"  special  delivery  "  style.  What  is  wanted 
in  the  shape  of  a  design  is  one  emblematic 
of  Cuba  and  suggestive  of  quick  delivery. — 
Metropolitan  Ph  ilatelist. 


It  is  reported  that  the  plates  for  the  new 
Cuban  stamps  are  now  ready,  and  that  the 
printing  will  be  commenced  shortly. 


The  following  circular  with  reference  to 
the  obsolete  newspaper  stamps  has  been 
sent  to  all  the  United  States  postmasters  : — 

"  March  20,  1899. 
"  To  the  Postmaster  : 

' '  You  will  please  report  to  this  office  at 
oi:ce  (1)  the  number  of  complete  sets  of 
newspapers  and  periodical  stamps  recently 
furnished  you  by  the  department  for  sale  to 
the  public ;  (2)  the  number  of  these  sets 
already  sold  by  you  ;  (3)  the  number  of  sets 
you  estimate  you  can  sell  up  to  date  for  dis- 
continuing the  sale  of  these  stamps,  Decem- 
ber 1,  1899. 

' '  This  report  should  be  made  out  on  the 
attached  reply  card,  which  is  to  be  detached 
and  forwarded  to  this  office  as  promptly  as 
possible.  John  A.  Merritt, 

"Third  Assist.  P.  M.  General." 


One  of  the  standard  questions  asked 
at  the  reference  department  of  the  Chi- 
cago public  library  is  :  In  what  year  were 
postage  stamps  first  made  ? 


A  newspaper,  in  answer  to  an  inquiry  as 
to  what  use  old  postage  stamps  could  be  put 
to,  says  that  it  understands  that  a  superior 
grade  of  wall-paper  is  made  from  them. 


A  gentleman  who  is  specializing  in  the 
issues  of  Guatemala  shows  the  following 
varieties  in  surcharge  in  the  "  correos 
nacionales  1  centavo "  in  red  on  the  long 
fiscal  10  centavos  green.  The  varieties  were 
found  in  the  examination  of  a  large  number 
of  sheets  of  the  stamps. 

Second  "r"  in  correos  in  smaller  type. 

The  three  letters  '"rre"  in  correos  in  smaller 
type. 

Inverted  "b"  and  ordinary  "b"for"o"in 
nacionales. 

The  letter  "r  "  for  the  second  "n  "  in 
nacionales. 

Inverted   "k"  for  the  first  "  n "  in  nacionales. 

"C"  in  centavo  entirely  missing,  making 
"  entavo." 

Inverted   "  a  "  for  "  v  "  in  centavo. 

"D"  for   "o"  in  centavo. 

Thin  type   "c"  in  centavo. 

The  Washington  correspondent  of  MekeePs 
Weekly  says  that  the  design  of  the  new 
Cuban  envelopes  will  be  the  head  of 
Columbus  as  it  appeared  on  the  Columbian 
half-dollar.  It  is  remembered  that  the  head 
of  the  coin  was  roundly  ridiculed  at  the 
time  of  the  mintage  of  the  half-dollars. 

Never  before  in  the  history  of  stamp 
collecting  has  the  boy  factor  shown  up  so 
satisfactorily  as  he  is  doing  now,  and  because 
these  boys  are  to  be  the  collectors  in  the 
years  to  come  it  should  be  considered  that 
their  renewed  interest  in  stamps  is  especially 
favourable  to  the  continuance  of  stability 
and  popularity  in  philately.  It  is  no  un- 
common sight  to  see  the  boys  lined  up  two 
and  three  deep  before  the  counters  of  our 
dealers,  and  it  is  a  most  amusing  as  well  as 
interesting  sight  to  watch  them  pick  out 
their  selections  and  drive  their  bargains.  I 
was  informed  by  one  of  these  boys  that 
every  pupil  in  his  grade  at  school  was  a  col- 
lector, and  all  were  striving  one  with 
another  as  to  who  should  possess  the  best 
collection. — Avierican  Exchange. 

As  there  seems  to  be  so  many  priced  cata- 
logues now  in  the  market,  and  as  each 
dealer  reckons  his  catalogue,  and  his  alone, 
is  the  sole  reliable  index  of  value,  I  recently 
persuaded  an  advanced  collector  friend  to 
value  his  collection  by  three  different  books — 
Serf,  Gibbons,  and  Scott — and  the  result 
was  extremely  interesting  : — 

£ 

According  to  Serf  (German)    181 

According  to  Gibbons  (English) 220 

According  to  Scott  (American)    270 

This  only  proves  what  I  have  repeatedly 
pointed  out,  that  Scott's  catalogue  is  far  too 
high  as  prices  go  now-a-days.  In  my 
opinion  Gibbons  is  the  best  of  the  lot. 

It  is  not  generally  known  that  our  sister 
colony  of  New  South  Wales  was  the  first 
country  in  the  world  to  issue  postage  stamps, 
viz.,  in  1838,  fulh'  a  couple  of  years  before 
the  home  country.  The  design  of  same 
was  circular,  with  the  Royal  arms  in  centre, 
surrounded   by  inscription,    "General  Post 


Items  of  Interest. 


93 


Office,  Sidney."  They  should  not,  perhaps, 
be  called  stamps,  being  more  like  an  em- 
bossed envelope.  The  price  was  about  2d. 
each,  and  they  served  for  postage  of  letters 
within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Sydney. 
These  envelopes  are  very  scarce,  and  are 
worth  as  many  pounds  now  as  they  were 
pencein  1838. — Otago  Witness  (New Zealand). 


Mr.  M.  Copenhagen,  of  San  Paulo,  Brazil' 
announces  that  the  publication  of  his  phila- 
telic journal  has  been  stopped  for  the  pre- 
sent, owing  to  the  lamented  death  of  his 
wife. 

We  think  it  would  be  as  well  if  the  matter 
of  the  use  of  obsolete  British  fiscal  stamps 
for  postal  purposes  were  settled  definitely  by 
the  authorities.  A  reader  informs  us  that 
he  finds  these  are  accepted  in  payment  of 
postage  by  the  clerks  in  some  offices  but 
refused  at  others.  Our  impression  is  that 
they  are  still  available  for  postal  purposes, 
but  we  should  very  much  like  a  decision  on 
the  subject. 

We  are  informed  that  British  North 
Borneo,  Labuan,  and  Jamaica  will  join  the 
Imperial  penny  scheme  on  May  24th  (Her 
Majesty's  birthday),  and  that  provisional 
stamps  of  4  cents  will  be  issued  on  that  day 
for  the  two  first-named  places. 

A  New  Colour  Chart. — An  unusually  ac- 
curate and  very  comprehensive  colour  chart 
has  at  last  appeared  with  the  imprint  of 
Messrs.  Louis  Prang  &  Co.,  the  Boston 
(U.S.A.)  art  publishers.  The  chart  will  be 
found  very  valuable  to  stamp  collectors  and 
cataloguers,  and  ought  to  prove  a  panacea 
for  "lake,"  "stone,"  "mauve,"  and  other 
temporary  aberrations  of  the  philatelic  mind 
on  the  colour  names  of  stamps. 

Mr.  George  Robey,  the  comedian,  is  said 
to  be  an  enthusiastic  philatelist. 

It  is  stated  that  the  stock  of  Thessaly 
stamps  has  been  sold. 

All  Finland  stamps  are  now  obsolete,  and 
only  the  ordinary  Russian  postage  stamps 
are  to  be  used  there  in  future. 

We  regret  to  announce  the  death  of  Mr. 
August  F.  de  Jong,  president  of  the  Staten 
Island  Philatelic  Society,  which  occurred  at 
his  residence,  65,  Beach  Street,  Stapleton, 
New  York,  at  the  age  of  67  years. 


We  have  ascertained  from  a  search  made 
in  the  State  records  by  Sirdar  Shumsher 
Singh,  Postmaster-General,  that  the  native- 
printed  stamps  of  Jhind  were  introduced  as 
early  as  1876. — Indian  Philatelist. 

Another  enthusiast  sends  an  exhibit  in 
various  classes.  To  represent  Canada  he 
sends  five  current  stamps  only,  and  other 
countries  are  even  more  amusing.  Tasmania 
is  represented  by  one  stamp  only,  and  that  a 
fiscal !  His  "  30  rare  stamps  "  include  such 
philatelic  treasures  as  the  current  id.  Eng- 
lish !  Will  no  one  pity  the  Honorary  Secre- 
tary ! — Indian  Philatelist. 

Mozambique   Provisionals. 
The   following  cutting   is   from   the    Beira 
Post:— 

Philatelists  Beware. 
Philatelists  will  do  well  to  beware  of  an 
issue  of  Mozambique  Company's  stamps, 
carmine,  75  reis,  surcharged  Provisorio  across 
centre,  and  25  on  top  ;  the  original  75  below 
being  ruled  out,  all  surcharging  being  in 
black  ink.  Of  these  10,000  were  printed, 
but  less  than  3,000  were  issued  to  the 
public  from  the  Post  Office ;  the  balance  of 
7,000  were  bought  up  by  speculators  within 
an  hour  or  two  of  the  Treasury  Office 
opening  by  those  who  had  been  privately 
informed  of  the  issue  coming  out.  It  was 
not  advertised  previous  to  issue  ;  and  there 
is  so  much  doubt  connected  with  the  issue 
that  locally  it  is  regarded  as  not  an  issue  fit 
for  collectors  to  touch ;  the  boycott  should 
be  general. 

The  remains  of  Mr.  Cobb,  the  late 
British  postmaster  in  Constantinople,  were 
interred  in  the  English  cemetery  at  Haidar 
Pasha. — Renter. 

A  notice  issued  by  the  Postmaster- General 
announces  that  the  postage  to  Malta  has 
been  reduced  to  a  penny. 

Police     Notice. 
Stolen  since  21st  March.  24.3.99. 

About  200  foreign  and  colonial  postage 
stamps,  some  on  card,  some  in  light  oak 
frame  and  some  in  dark  wood  do. ,  including  1 
New  South  Wales  2d.  green  (with  Wales 
spelt  "  Waees  "),  1-2  dollar  United  States 
Columbus  issue :  some  Brunswick  Bremen 
Lubeck,  2  Maltese  halfpenny  (1  buff  and  gold, 
1  yellow),  also  several  unused  Nova  Scotia  and 
a  2d.  blue  Victoria. 

Information  should  be  given  to  the 
London  Police. 


The  High  Value  State  Depart- 
ment Stamps. 

Our  publishers  were  all  the  time  of  the 
opinion  that  the  statement  of  John  Kerr 
Tiffany  and  other  writers  accepted  as 
authority  that  the  issue  of  the  $5.00,  $10.00 
and  $20.00  U.  S.  Department  of  States  con- 
sisted only  of  367  copies  of  each  stamp  was 
of  rather  doubtful  value.  If  really  this 
small  number  of  stamps  should  have  been 
printed  it  would  be  exceedingly  peculiar 
to  notice  the  immense  expansion  of  these 
stamps,  the  same  being  frequently  met  with 
at  auction  sales,  advertisements  of  dealers, 
and  known  to  e  ist  in  a  great  many  private 
collections.  As  early  as  May,  1897,  an 
article  to  this  effect  was  published  in  these 
columns  for  the  purpose  to  locate  as  many 
of  these  stamps  as  possible.  The  article 
appeared  at  a  rather  unfortunate  time  just 
at  the  beginning  of  the  indifferent  stamp 
season.  Nevertheless  inside  of  two  months 
we  were  able  to  locate  over  90,  or  fully  one 
quarter  of  the  $20.00  stamps,  and  propor- 
tionately large  numbers  of  the  other  values. 
We  now  beg  to  thank  all  our  friends  who 
have  helped  us  to  find  out  this  much,  but 
great  deal  more  thanks  is  due  to  Mr.  John 
N.  Luff,  of  New  York,  for  his  indefatigable 
researches  in  this  branch  of  philately.  By 
the  same  Mr.  Luff  is  now  enabled  to  give 
the  exact  number  of  the  higher  value  State 
Department,  and  in  fact  of  most  all  other 
departments  ever  accounted  for  by  the  post 
office  department.  These  accounts  for  the 
year  ending  December  31,  1S73,  comprise 
700  each  of  the  $2.00,  $5.00,  $10.00  and 
$20.00  State.  This  first  instalment  is 
already  more  than  Tiffany's  total.  1874 
adds  1,800  $2.00  stamps,  while  in  1875  tne 
numbers  are  given  1,980,  $2.00;  1,870,  $5.00; 
1,930,  $10.00;  1,940,  $20.00.  In  1876  no 
more  of  the  high  values  State  Department 
are  accounted  for,  and  it  is  probable  that 
1875  was  the  last  year  of  their  issue.  Taking 
this  for  granted  we  have  in  all  4,480,  $2.00  ; 
2,570,  $5.00;  2,630,  $10.00;  2,640,  $20.00, 
a  result  which  is  certainly  more  probable 
than  the  ridiculously  low  figure  given  in 
former  accounts,  and  which  at  the  same  time 
may  throw  some  new  light  oa  the  pro- 
portionate valuation  of  these  certainly  much 
coveted  stamps. — Philatelic  Facts  and  Falla- 


The  Boy  Collector. 

How  much  we  have  heard  of  the  boy 
collector  lately.  He  has  been  given  a  promin- 
ent place  in  all  the  periodicals  ;   he  is  a  mush- 


room product  ;  he  springs  into  the  full 
fascination  of  the  interesting  pursuit,  or  art,  in 
a  single  night,  and  it  often  as  suddenly  loses  its 
interest  for  him, 

To  the  dealer  the  boy  collector  is  a  source 
of  profit.  He  is  not  a  heavy  buyer  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  invests  but  little,  but  he  takes  the 
more  common  varieties  off  the  dealer's  hands  ; 
he  is  not  that  worry  ol  all  dealers,  a  "philatelic 
crank,"  he  is  satisfied  with  a  good  stamp.  He 
does  not  require  his  unused  stamps  in  "  mint 
state,"  but  he  is  very  careful  to  see  that  their 
faces  are  clean.  If  a  stamp  is  one  milimeter 
off  center  he  does  not  refuse  it  as  worthless, 
and  if  it  has  a  cancellation  that  can  be  seen  with 
the  naked  eye  he  does  not  consider  it  valueless. 

He  is  not  a  speculator ;  he  is  trying  to  get  as 
many  varieties  as  possible,  and  a  Nicaragua  is 
as  good  as  a  Norway.  He  does  not  worry  his 
brain  over  Colonel  Seebeck  with  his  endless 
varieties  ;  does  not  obey  the  commands  of  the 
great  and  awful  S.  S.  S.  S.,  but  goes  merrily 
spending  his  pennies  for  Chinese  locals  and 
jubilees.  As  a  rule  the  boy  collector  is  "out 
of  fashion";  he  does  not  lay  aside  collecting  in 
summer  ;  on  the  contrary  he  spends  more  time 
over  it ;  he  does  not  specialize,  as  a  rule  he  has 
not  even  a  catalogue. 

Still,  the  faults  of  the  boy  collector  some- 
times effect  the  dealer ;  he  does  not  keep  his 
sheets  clean  ;  he  has  an  unpleasant  way  of  fig- 
uring upon  the  back  of  the  sheet  of  what  he 
owes  the  dealer,  and  often  the  sheets  are  re- 
turned with  an  unaccountable  X  marked  under 
sundry  stamps.  The  stamps  come  off  the 
sheets  easily  in  his  possession  and  he  energeti- 
cally replaces  them  with  whatever  comes 
handy,  be  it  a  drug  label  or  a  sticking  plaster, 
causing  the  dealer,  when  he  examines  the 
sheet,  to  scratch  his  head  with  thoughts  of 
substitution,  etc.,  flitting  through  his  brain. 

The  boy  collector  is  usually  honest ;  he  re- 
mits with  ungummed  stamps  or  stamps  so 
gummy  that  they  stick  together  ;  part  of  remit- 
tance is  usually  in  stamps  and  part  in  coin.  He 
usually  splits  that  odd  cent,  for  himself,  and 
generally  retains  2  cents  for  postage. 

His  writing  is,  as  a  rule,  such  a  scrawl  that 
within  two  months  the  dealer  considers  him- 
self able  to  read  Chinese. 

Japan. 

Mr.  H.  B.  Haskell,  of  Yokohama,  sends 
us  the  following  "  Notification  No.  71  "  over 
the  signature  of  the  Minister  of  Communi- 
cations : — 

"  As  the  rates  of  postage  are  to  be  changed 
in  April  next,  the  department  has  determined 
to  issue  new  stamps  of  different  colours  to 
those  now  in  use.     The  new  3  sen  stamp, 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


95 


according  to  a  proclamation  just  issued,  will 
be  of  light  chestnut  colour,  the  i  sen  stamp 
will  be  brown,  while  the  l/z  sen  stamp  will 
be  of  the  same  colour  as  it  is  now.  The  new 
stamps  will  be  sold  from  the  ist  of  April  next, 
but  those  of  the  same  denomination  hereto- 
fore in  use  will  be  accepted  for  the  present 
by  the  post  and  telegraph  offices." 

The  same  correspondent  has  also  forwarded 
a  previous  notification  (No.  66)  covering  the 
changes  in  rates  which  are  responsible  for 
the  colour  alterations  noted  above.  The 
principal  sections,  relating  to  single  and 
double  postal  cards,  ordinary  letters  and 
stamped  envelopes,  are  given  herewith  : — 

1.  The  cost  of  postal  cards  being  changed 
to  one  and  a  half  sen  per  card,  a  five  riu 
stamp  shall  be  pasted  below  the  part  of  the 
face  of  the  existing  one  sen  card  where  the 
cost  of  the  card  and  seal  are  stamped. 

2.  The  cost  of  return  postal  cards  being 
changed  to  three  sen  per  card,  two  five  rin 
stamps  shall  be  pasted  one  each  below  the 
part  of  the  face  of  each  leaf  of  existing  two 
sen  return  postal  cards  where  the  cost  of  the 
cards  and  seal  are  stamped. 

3.  No.  1  postal  matter — that  is  to  say 
mails — shall  require  the  postage  fee  of  three 
sen  per  four  momme  (for  mails  under  four 
momme  the  same  fee  will  be  charged).  For 
mails  under  four  momme  three  sen  stamp  or 
stamps  of  equal  value  should  be  pasted,  no 
matter  how  much  the  weight  may  be.  For 
mails  above  four  momme  and  up  to  eight 
momme,  six  sen  will  be  required  ;  above  eight 
momme  and  up  to  twelve  momme,  nine  sen; 
and  for  mails  above  twelve  momme,  a  three 
sen  stamp  should  be  added  for  any  increase 
not  exceeding  four  momme. 

4.  When  the  existing  two  sen  postal 
envelopes  are  used,  additional  stamps  shall 
be  pasted  at  the  foregoing  rate  according  to 
the  weight  of  mails.  Such  stamps  shall  be 
pasted  as  much  as  possible  below  the  part  of 
the  face  of  the  envelope  where  the  cost  and 
seal  are  printed.  For  example,  for  mails 
weighing  four  momme  and  under,  a  one  sen 
stamp  should  be  pasted,  and  for  mails  weigh- 
ing more  than  four  momme  and  up  to  eight 
momme,  stamps  having  a  value  of  two  sen 
shall  be  added. — Mekeel's  Weekly. 


The  "Standard  Catalogue" 


Supplement. 


The  supplement  to  the  58th  Edition 
Standard  Catalogue  is  now  in  circulation, 
and  seems  very  well  to  fill  the  mission  of  the 
new  catalogue  edition  usually  brought  out 
at  this  time.  The  supplement  notes  new 
issues  appearing  as  late  as  October  first,  and 
is  very  complete  and  accurate  as  far  as  it 
goes. 


The  publishers  have  stated  their  intention 
of  waiting  until  spring  for  decision  regard- 
ing a  59th  edition.  This  must  mean'  that 
we  may  or  may  not  see  the  next  edition 
about  one  year  from  this  date,  but  can  hardly 
expect  to  have  one  sooner. 

The  issuance  of  the  supplement  has  made 
a  new  edition  at  the  present  time  unnecessary, 
by  providing  a  list  of  new  issues  now  so  popu- 
lar with  the  trade,  and  it  has  further  wisely 
dodged  the  difficult  problem  of  price  adjust- 
ment on  the  old  issues. 


The  Present  Status  of  the 
58th. 

It  seems  to  be  the  general  opinion  that 
the  58th  edition  catalogue,  though  created 
in  different  market  conditions  from  the 
present,  still  reflects  relatively  just  values  of 
the  stamps  it  lists.  It  is  nevertheless  be- 
lieved to  be  too  optimistic  for  present 
conditions,  and  it  will  seem  to  our  readers 
almost  trite  to  say  that  stamps  have  not 
generally  sold  in  even  prime  condition  at 
prices  approximating  the  catalogue  quota- 
tions since  the  catalogue  was  printed.  The 
fact  is  universally  patent.  But  the  catalogue, 
owing  to  its  relative  correctness,  has  held, 
with  varying  discounts  and  concessions, 
during  all  the  abnormal  conditions  of  the 
last  hard  year. 


The  Future. 

There  is  now  no  doubt — it  is  beyond  ques- 
tion— that  trade  is  getting  better  and  that 
collectors  are  no  longer  holding  aloof,  but 
are  buying  at  prices  which  at  least  make  it 
possible  for  tradesmen  to  sell.  In  every 
case  when  the  supply  of  a  thing  is  limited 
and  the  demand  for  it  increases,  just  one  of 
two  things  may  be  expected  to  happen ; 
either  the  supply  will  be  exhausted  or  the 
price  of  the  thing  will  go  up.  In  the  case  of 
a  stamp,  whether  the  supply  is  exhausted  or 
merely  straightened,  popular  opinion  express- 
ed in  various  ways  forces  the  price  up.  So  it 
may  be  safe  to  assume  that  prices  will  not  stay, 
even  at  their  present  level,  indefinitely,  but 
will  slowly  rise  toward  the  level  of  the  58th 
catalogue.  Whether  the  next  catalogue  will 
need  to  lower  or  raise  the  general  standard 
of  prices  laid  down  m  the  58th  edition  will 
depend  upon  the  rapidity  of  the  rise  in 
values  created  by  increasing  demand.  At 
present  the  58th  edition  seems  adequate  to 
supply  the  popular  need. 


96 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


The    Real    Status    of    any 
Catalogue. 

But  the  "Standard"  or  any  other  so- 
called  "  catalogue  "  should  not  be  taken  too 
seriously 

It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  any  such 
publication  is,  and  probably  always  will  be, 
the  price-list  of  an  individual  business  house. 

Of  course,  generally  speaking,  it  is  to  the 
interest  of  any  concern  to  make  a  "catalogue" 
as  complete  and  as  valuable  as  possible  to 
the  buying  public,  in  order  to  insure  its 
popularity  and  sale.      It   is   also  usually  to 


the  interest  of  a  concern,  in  the  publication 
of  a  price-list,  to  meet  competition  in  the 
adjustment  of  prices.  But  these  general 
rules  do  not  necessarily  hold  in  every  case, 
and  when  catalogue  and  price-list  are  com- 
bined they  may  not  have  all  the  force  that 
they  would  have  in  the  case  of  separate 
publications. 

But  public  opinion  is  a  censor  which  is 
usually  respected  and  catered  to.  The  only 
danger,  on  the  other  hand,  is  that  public  opin- 
ion may  occasionally  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
almost  everything  in  this  world  should  be 
taken  cum  grano  salts,  and  nothing — net 
even  a  stamp  catalogue — is  infallible.—  East- 
ern Philatelist. 


Notices. 


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«tfk 


A^kJ. 


isf?  --  ^ho^y^ 


When  things  are  at  their  worst  they  must 
mend — or    end.      The    beginning    of    1898 
found  philately  in  a  parlous  state.     Specu- 
lators  of  every  brand  had  preyed  upon  it 
like  vultures  upon  the  yet  living  body  of  the 
exhausted  camel    lying   in   the   desert — the 
soi-disant  amateur  leading  the  way.     Some 
dealers  strove  to  choke  it  by  forcing  prices 
to  abominably  fictitious  heights,  some  auc- 
tioneers did  their  little  best  by  playing  into 
the  hands  of  unscrupulous  rings  of  bidders, 
while    even    Governments    conspired    with 
this  horde,  and  aided  in  the  spoliation  of  the 
philatelist.     Well  nigh  exhausted  and  appar- 
ently   moribund,    philately    looked   almost 
past  redemption — but    this  very  exhaustion 
proved  its   salvation.     Seeing  there  was  so 
little    blood    remaining,   the    blood-suckers 
stayed  their  efforts  to  some  extent.     So-called 
amateurs   ceased   to  boom  a    country   or  a 
continent  to  their  own  great  ulterior  benefit, 
and,  instead,  investing  their  money  in  houses 
or  brewery  shares.     Auctioneers  ceased  to 
publish  reports  of  their  sales,   and  dealers, 
taught  wisdom  by  experience,   reduced  their 
prices.     Philately    breathed    again,    and    if 
only   the   speculator  can  be  held   at  arm's 
length,  and  the  common  sense  of  the  collector 
be  exercised  when  he  is  purchasing,   so  that 
he  will  prefer  to  go  without  a  stamp  rather 
than  be  robbed  in  the  purchase,    then   the 
improvement  will  go  on,  and  the  hobby — or 
science   if  you    will — be   established   on    so 
strong   and  permanent  a  basis  that  it   can 
laugh    at   all    assailants. — Floreat    Philatelia 
(Philatelic  Chronicle). 

Williams  &  Co.,  of  Lima,  Peru,  have 
definitely  disappeared.  We  have  before  us 
a  letter  addressed  to  them  on  December  24th 
last,  which  has  come  back  through  the  dead 
letter  office. 

The  man  known  as  "  Williams  "  was,  we 
are  informed,  in  Paris  recently,  and  called 
on  several  dealers,  disposing  of  a  quantity  of 
good  stamps  at  very  low  prices.  He  an- 
nounced himself  as  an  American  dealer,  and 
in  one  case  he  asked  for  the  addresses  of 
persons  who  would  be  likely  to  buy  his, 
stamps.  He  apparently  avoided  calling  on 
any  of  those  with  whom  he  had  dene  busi- 
ness by  correspondence,  but  one  day  he 
made  a  mistake.  He  called  on  a  certain 
dealer,  and  as  he  opened  the  deer  he  was 
greeted  by  a  gentleman  who  knew  him  in 
Lima  with  the  words,  "  Hallo,  Williams  !  " 
Mr.  Williams  promptly  shut  tke  door  and 
disappeared,  which  is  the  last  we  have 
heard  of  him. 


Birmingham    Philatelic 

O 

Society. 

Honorary  President : — W.  B.  Avery,  Esq. 

President: — W.  T.  Wilson,  Esq. 

Vice-Presidents  : — R.  Hollick,  Esq.     W. 

Pimm,  Esq. 

Committee  :  — 

Mr.  H.  R.  Bewlay.      Mr.  C.  A.  Stephenson. 

Mr.  P.  T.  Deakin.        Mr.  W.  S.  Vaughton. 

Mr.  T.  W.  Peck.  Mr.  W.  F.  Wadams. 

Hon.  Secretary  and  Treasurer  : — 

Mr.  G.  Johnson,  b.a. 

Official  Address  : — 208,  Birchfield  Road, 

Birmingham. 

March  2nd.  The  following  were  unani- 
mously elected  members  : — Messrs.  S.  G. 
Vlastos,  C.  P.  W.  Andreae,  and  G. 
Avyerinos. 

Mr.  Pimm  gave  a  very  interesting  paper 
on  the  stamps  of  New  Zealand,  illustrated  by 
his  own  fine  collection  of  that  country,  and 
also  by  those  of  Messrs.  W.  T.  Wilson  and 
T.  W.  Peck,  the  former  showing  all  varieties 
in  ranges  of  shades,  used  and  unused,  and 
the  latter,  fine  blocks  of  imperfs  in  Mint 
condition,  and  other  rarities  in  exceptionally 
fine  condition. 

The  paper  was  interspersed  and  followed 
by  remarks  and  discussion  as  to  the  various 
shades  in  use  at  certain  dates,  and  a  good 
number  of  copies  with  dated  postmarks  and 
stamps  on  original,  including  some  of  the 
rare  watermarks,  roulettes,  etc.,  materially 
helped  the  discussion. 

April  20.  The  following  were  unani  m  o  u  s  1 
elected  members  : — Messrs.  W.  Nathan,  J. 
Venn,  W.  Morgan,  C.  E.  Price,  and  A.  N. 
Hayne. 

Mr.  R.  Hollick  then  showed  his  collections 
of  New  South  Wales  and  Tasmania,  care- 
fully explaining  to  any  who  required  it,  the 
numerous  varieties  and  re-touches  of  the 
plates  in  the  early  issues  of  the  former 
colony.  Many  very  fine  copies  and  shades 
of  these  early  issues  were  shown,  and  this 
was  the  cause  of  a  subsequent  discussion  on 
catalogue  values  and  discounts,  from  which 
it  appeared  that  most  of  the  members  would 
only  be  glad  to  get  satisfactory  copies  at  full 
catalogue  rates,  or  even  more,  but  such 
copies  are  a  steadily  decreasing  quantity, 
and  for  them  there  is  always  a  good  demand 
which  is  gauged  to  a  very  small  extent  by 
quotations  of  auctions  or  catalogues. 


98 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Plymouth    Philatelic    Society. 

The  eighth  session  of  the  Plymouth  Phila- 
telic Society,  which  will  shortly  close  as  far 
as  active  winter  work  is  concerned,  has  been 
a  most  successful  one.  Nineteen  new  mem- 
bers have  joined  since  October,  1898,  and 
fourteen  ordinary  meetings  have  been  held, 
at  which  papers  have  been  read  in  conjunc- 
tion with  alternate  evenings  for  discussion 
and  exchange.  The  following  have  con- 
tributed to  the  readings  : — Major  G.  W. 
Stockdale  (President),  twice  on  the  issues  of 
France,  Rev.  E.  A.  Donaldson  and  Mr.  H. 
W.  Mayne  on  the  "Collecting  of  Entires," 
Rev.  E.  T.  Fyffe,  r.n.,  on  "Auction  Prices 
and  Catalogue  Values,"  and  Mr  W.  A. 
Walker,  on  "Breikers  ahead."  On  the  14th 
of  January,  1899,  an  exhibition  of  stamps 
was  held,  which  proved  a  most  gratifying 
success,  and  the  exchange  branch  of  the 
Society  shews  a  very  marked  development — 
its  monthly  packets  averaging  over  £100  in 
value.  A  silver  medal  has  also  been  con- 
tributed to  the  forthcoming  Manchester 
Philatelic  Exhibition.  The  present  session 
will  end  shortly  with  a  lecture  on  Philately, 


to  be  contributed  by  the  Rev.   E.   Bell,  of 

Saltash. 
Hon.  Secretary    )  .„    .    ...  ..        _ 

and  Treasurer      }  W"  A-  Walker'  Es* 

E?chan|eCBranrch  }Dn  C  E.Russel  Rendle 

Central  Philatelic  Club. 

EXCHANGE    PACKET. 

At  a  Committee  meeting  held  on  Monday, 
Feb.  6th,  a  discussion  of  the  rules  of  the  Ex- 
change Packet,  with  reference  to  the  pricing 
of  stamps,  took  place,  when  the  following 
proposition  was  carried  that  the  words  by 
Stanley  Gibbon  s  catalogue  be  erased,  and  the 
words  at  member  s  discretion  be  inserted. 
Rule  1  will  now  read  :  Stamps  to  be  priced  at 
member's  discretion,  subject  to  a  discount  of  50 
per  cent.  As  I  am  anxious  to  make  the 
packets  a  great  success,  I  trust  all  members 
will  help  me  by  sending  sheets  regularly. 
The  first  packet  will  be  sent  out  on  the  nth 
inst.,  but  future  packets  will  be  issued 
promptly  on  the  5th,  sheets  to  be  sent  in  by 
the  1st  of  the  month. 

C.   Forbes,  Secretary. 


Our  Monthly  Packets  of 
New  Issues. 


No.   1,  price  One  Shilling  (postage  extra). 
The  April  Packet  contains  : — 

NINE   VARIETIES  all  unused. 

Viz.  :  Japan,  New  Issue,  5  rin,  1  sen  and 
3  sen  ;Uruguay,  5c.  on  violet ;  Ceylon,  6c.  on 
15c;  Brazil,  2or.  on  ior.  blue  journal  stamp  ; 
Columbia,  1899,  IC-  red  on  yellow,  &c. 

No.  2,  price  5s.  (postage  extra). 


The  April  Packet  contains  :— 

16  VARIETIES,  all  unused,  viz.  :— Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  3d.  lilac ;  Straits  Settle- 
ments, 4c.  on  5c.  rose  ;  Guatemala,  ic.  on 
50c,  and  ic.  on  75c,  and  set  of  12  Nyassa, 
surcharged  on  Mozambique. 

These  packets  are  on  sale  until  the  supply  i-;  ex- 
hausted.nnd  are  supplied  onlvto  Subscribers to  the 
Philatelic  Record  and  Stamp  News.  Similai 
packets  will  be  on  sale  every  month,  and  may 
be  subscribed  for  in  advance"for  the  rear  (Janu- 
ary to  December  inclusive),  at  the  following 
rates :  No.  1  packet,  12s.,  postage  extra  :  No.  2 
packet,  60s.,  postage  extra. 

The  subscription  to  the  paper  (5s.  per  annum) 
is  extra.— BUHL  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  11,  Queen  Victoria 
St.,  E.C. 


Part   I.— British    Empire, 


Mauritius.— We  have  received  the  18 
cents  envelope  surcharged  "4  cents  "  in  two 
lines  in  red,  with  a  bar  obliterating  the 
original  value. 

Envelope. 
4  cents  in  red,  on  18  cents,  blue  on  white. 
Samoa. — Messrs.  Whitfield,  King  &  Co. 
send  us  the  one  penny  (tree  in  centre)  with 
the  surcharge  in  red,  "  surcharged  2^d.  "  in 
two  lines.  The  word  "surcharged"  with  the 
final  d  appears  peculiar,  and  is  probably 
an  error. 

Adhesive, 
'2\&.  in  red,  on  Id.  green. 

British  Guiana. — The  1897  "Jubilee" 
issue  does  not  seem  to  have  gone  off  as  well  as 
was  expected,  as  Messrs.  Whitfield,  King  & 
Co.  send  us  two  values,  the  10c.  and  15c, 
each  with  the  horizontal  surcharge  TWO 
CENTS  in  black  block  letters. 

A  dhesives. 
2c.  in  black,  on  10c.  red  brown  and  grey. 
2c.     „  „  15c.  blue  and  brown. 

Sirmoor.— Messrs.  Whitfield,  King  & 
Co.  have  sent  us  four  new  stamps  of  the 
"  elephant "  type,  with  the  inscription 
"  Sirmoor  postage  and  Inland  Revenue." 

A  dhesives. 

3  annas,  emerald  green. 

4  „      blue  green. 
8      „      blue. 

1  rupee,  red. 

Queensland. — The  saw- tooth  perforation 
dies  hard,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
account  by  a  correspondent  of  \h&  Australian 
Philatelist : 

"The  zigzag  perforation  was  a  fiasco, 
principally  on  account  of  its  being  neces- 
sary to  perforate  before  gumming.  The 
gum  then  fastened  up  the  holes  made  by 
the  steel  rule.  It  was  impossible  to  per- 
forate after  gumming,  and  about  3,000  out 
of  the  5,000  sheets  printed  as  issued  to  the 
general  post  office  were  returned  to  the 
Government  printing  office,  to  be  perfo- 
rated in  the  ordinary  way  by  the  comb 
machine.  There  are  thus  four  varieties 
of  this  latest  perforation,  viz. — (1)  serrated, 
(2)  serrated  in  black,  (3)  serrated  and  perf. 
12^,  (4)  serrated  in  black  and  perf.  \z\. 

"  The  explanation  given  for  the  existence 
of  the  serrated  in  black  variety  is  that  the 
machinists  (this  work  being  done  on  an 
ordinary  printing  machine),  in  order  to  get 
the  perforation  to  register  properly,  ran 
several  sample  sheets  through  the  press,  and 
so  arranged  it  that  the  frame  did  not 
perforate,  but,  with  the  judicious  application 
of  a  little  printer's  ink,  simply  left  a  blank  im- 


pression. Where  this  impression  encroached 
on  the  coloured  design  of  the  stamp,  the 
register  was  altered,  until  at  last  all  the 
lines  of  the  perforating  frame  fell  between 
the  rows  of  stamps,  then  the  '  sampling  ' 
was  discontinued,  and  the  perforating  pro- 
ceeded with  merrily." 

We  chronicle  the  three  varieties  added  by 
this  announcement,  having  already  printed 
the  ordinary  perce  en  scie  variety  adhesives  : 

1  penny,  orange-red,  perce  en  scie,  black  lines. 
1  penny,  orange-red,  perce  en  scie  and  perf.  12J. 
1  pennv,  orange-red,  perce  en  scie,  black  lines  and 
perf,  12%, 

Victoria. — We  are  rather  amused  to  see 
the  Monthly  Journal  chronicle  the  is.  blue 
on  blue,  with  blue  surcharge.  We  are  writing 
away  from  our  books,  and  therefore  cannot 
fix  the  exact  time  when  this  was  chronicled, 
but  it  must  be  somewhere  between  five  and 
ten  years  ago,  nearer  the  latter  date,  and  the 
stamp  has  been  in  our  possession  several 
times. 

Great  Barrier  Island. — Messrs.  Whit- 
field, King  &  Co.  kindly  send  us  the  following 
information  : — 

"  The  enquiries  we  have  made  about  these 
stamps  have  led  to  some  unexpected  results. 
We  had  no  idea  of  the  exact  nature  of  the 
stamps  when  we  first  received  a  few  from  a 
New  Zealand  correspondent,  as  he  gave  us  no 
information  about  them,  but  they  prove  to 
be  something  startlingly  novel.  There  is  no 
cable  to  the  island,  and  the  mail  service  is 
irregular  and  infrequent,  and  as  long  ago  as 
November,  1897,  a  '  Pigeongram '  service 
was  established,  the  pigeons  of  course  being 
taken  out  by  vessels  as  opportunity  offered, 
and  liberated  when  messages  were  required 
to  be  sent.  For  twelve  months  this  service 
was  carried  on  without  the  aid  of  stamps, 
but  last  November,  in  consequence  of  the 
increase  in  the  number  of  messages,  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  issue  stamps,  and  i,8oo 
were  printed.  The  messages  are  written  on 
slips  of  thin  tissue  paper,  the  address  being 
at  the  top,  and  the  stamp  is  placed  on  the 
message,  as  of  course  no  envelope  can  be 
used  in  such  a  service.  The  stamp  is  obliter- 
ated by  a  circular  stamp,  and  the  slip  is  then 
rolled  up  and  tied  under  the  pigeon's  wing. 
We  do  not  know  how  many  such  messages 
each  bird  can  carry.  When  the  birds  are 
liberated  at  Great  Barrier,  they  fly  home  to 
Auckland,  New  Zealand,  when  the  messages 
are  removed  and  placed  in  envelopes,  ad- 
dressed and  posted,  the  fee  of  is.  covering 
delivery  to  any  part  of  the  colony. 


IOO 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


"  There  is  only  the  one  value,  is.,  which 
is,  indeed,  the  only  one  required,  the  fee 
being  is  for  each  '  Pigeongram.'  The  design 
being  badly  done,  a  new  stamp  has  been  en- 
graved, of  which  we  expect  a  supply  in  a  few 
weeks,  when  we  shall  send  you  a  specimen 
for  illustration.  Although  a  private  venture, 
we  are  satisfied  that  it  is  bond  fide,  and  it  is 
of  so  unique  and  interesting  a  character,  that 
we  believe  the  stamps  will  soon  be  much 
sought  after.  If  we  can  get  hold  of  an 
original  used  '  flimsy  '  with  stamp  attached, 
we  shall  let  you  see  it,  but  the  stamps  are 
generally  somewhat  the  worse  for  the  journey, 
being  in  a  more  or  less  creased  condition." 

New  Brunswick. — The  following  con- 
tribution towards  the  history  of  a  much- 
disputed  issue  is  sent  to  the  Monthly  Journal 
by  a  correspondent  who  obtained  it  direct 
from  a  personal  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Con- 
nell:— 

"  A  number  of  years  ago  I  was  in  Wood- 
stock, where  Mr.  Connell  lived,  and  knew 
him  well.  On  asking  him  about  the  cele- 
brated '  Connell '  stamp,  he  told  me  that 
what  he  felt  most  keenly  about  the  affair  was 
the  charge  of  vanity  urged  against  him.  His 
explanation  was,  as  well  as  I  can  remember, 
that  it  was  necessary,  as  New  Brunswick  had 
followed  Canada  in  adopting  the  decimal 
system,  to  change  the  designations  of  the 
New  Brunswick  postage  stamps.  As  Post- 
master General,  he  had  to  carry  out  the 
change.  He  accordingly  went  to  the  United 
States  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements. 
There  were  several  denominations  of  stamps, 
and  the  design  for  each  had  been  settled 
excepting  that  for  the  5  cents  stamp.     Being 


obliged  to  return  unexpectedly  to  New 
Brunswick  before  that  design  had  been 
agreed  upon,  he  urged  the  designer  to  give 
him  something  definite  about  it.  The  artist 
said  if  the  matter  was  left  to  him  he  would 
let  the  Postmaster-General  have  something 
that  he  thought  would  please  the  people.  Mr. 
Connell,  in  '  a  moment  of  weakness,'  agreed 
to  the  proposal,  and  l*ft  for  home.  When 
the  first  consignment  of  stamps  arrived  he 
was  more  surprised  than  anyone  else  to  find 
that  the  stamp  bore  his  own  likeness.  He 
had  no  time  to  change  the  design,  so  let  it 
go.  The  day  for  the  first  issue  came,  and 
with  it  a  storm  of  popular  wrath,  which  the 
Premier  of  the  day  allayed  by  the  only 
course  open  to  him,  viz.,  by  requesting  and 
obtaining  Mr.  Connell's  resignation. 

"  While  Mr.  Connell  was  giving  me  '.his 
version  of  the  trouble  we  were  walking  in 
front  of  his  house.  He  said,  '  I  have  the 
stamps  here,  for  I  felt  that  it  was  only  right 
that  I  should  pay  for  them  out  of  my  own 
pocket.'  Taking  me  into  a  room,  he  showed 
me  a  great  pile  of  the  stamps,  and  said,  'I 
am  going  to  burn  them.'  Thinking  that  a 
souvenir  would  be  a  good  thing  to  have,  I 
asked  him  if  he  would  let  me  have  a  few. 
He  at  once  acceded  to  my  request,  and  I 
put  some  of  them  into  my  pocket-book. 
Soon  after  I  learned  that  he  had  destroyed 
his  little  '  Klondyke. ' 

"  I  understood  from  him  that  very  few  of 
these  stamps  passed  under  the  official  stamp, 
but  how  many  I  do  not  recollect.  The 
stamps  I  received  from  Mr.  Connell  I  parted 
with  about  1877  to  an  English  collector." 


Part     II.      Other     Countries. 


France. — The  5c.   now  comes    in    pale 
yellow  green,  instead  of  blue  green. 
A  dhes'me. 
5  centime*,  pale  \  ellow  green. 

New  Zealand. — Mr.  L.  A.  Sanderson, 
of  the  Philatelic  Society  of  New  Zealand, 
has  favoured  us  with  a  pair  of  the  2d.  im- 
perforate betzveen  the  stamps,  vertically.  Our 
correspondent  informs  us  that  a  sheet  of 
these  has  turned  up,  and  we  have  also  come 
across  the  id.  value  in  a  similar  condition. 

The  new  issue — bicoloured — is  already 
obsolete,  and  Messrs.  Willcox,  Smith  &  Co. 
inform  us  that  the  1883  issue  has  been  re- 
verted to  until  the  new  colonial  printed 
series  is  ready.  On  this  subject  the  same 
correspondent  sends  us  a  cutting  from  a 
local  paper  which  reads  as  follows : — 

"Wellington,  12th  March. 

"  The  machinery  is  now  erected,  and 
printing  is  expected  to  commence  in  a  week 
or  ten  days'  time. 

"  The  paper  wiil  be  a  special  one,  but  the 
usual   wm.   star  and  N.Z.  will  be  the  same. 

"  All  the  plates  have  been  received  except 
the  £d.,  id.,  and  2d.,  which  are  being  re- 
placed, so  as  to  get  a  uniform  size  of  stamp. 
The  4d.  is,  of  course,  to  be  altered,  and  the 
question  of  altering  the  colour  to  those 
adopted  by  the  Universal  Postal  Union  will 
also  be  attended  to." 


Siam. — Mr.  Hood  Beng  informs  us  that 
the  i2atts  was  issued  on  the  12th  of  March, 
with  the  surcharge  iatt,  but  does  not  tell  us 
the  colour  or  nature  of  the  surcharge. 

Straits  Settlements.— In  addition  to 
the  surcharge  chronicled  in  February,  we 
now  have  the  8c.  in  blue,  with  similar  sur- 
charge, and  also  the  5c.  printed  specially  in 
lake  red,  with  the  surcharge  4c.  in  words  in 
one  line  at  the  bottom. 

Adhesive 
4c.  in  black  on  8c,  blue. 
4c.  in  black  on  5c  reel  lake. 
Both  'watermark  C.V..  pert'.  14. 

Argentine  Republic. — A  correspondent 
sends  us  a  letter  sheet  with  stamp  of  the  some- 
what improved  type,  and  of  the  same  design 
as  the  current  envelopes,  the  only  inscription 
being  Memorandum  Posto.  The  inside  is 
ruled  with  blue  dotted  lines. 

Letter  shoe'.  5c,  vcrmillion  on  white. 

Brazil. — It  does  not  appear  to  be  gener- 
ally known  that  the  current  200  reis  exists 
with  some  extraordinary  perforations,  some 
specimens  being  perf.  5  and  some  perf.  7. 

Columbia. — Mr.  Alfredo  Tarr  kindly 
sends  us  specimens  of  the  new  1  centavo 
The  design  is  similar  to  the  stamp  it  super 
sedes,  but  this  time  the  colour  is  pale  brown 
on  yellow. 

A  dhesive. 
1  centavo.  pale  brown  on  yellow. 


The  Philatelic  Record 


AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


MAY,    1899. 


Editorial   Notes. 

IT  is  only  a  few  years  ago  that  the  railway  companies  were  authorised  to 
issue  stamps  of  their  own  for  the  purpose  of  being  used  on  letters  posted 
at  railway  stations,  to  be  re-posted  in  the  ordinary  letter  boxes  at  the 

town  or  village  to  which  the  letter  is  addressed.     The  uniform  charge  is 

2d.  per  letter,  which  must  not  exceed  in  weight  the  ordinary  penny 

P  ..  postage  rate.     Until  recently  this  was  one  ounce,  but  under  the 

I   U     Fee  a^ere<^  Postal  rates  it  is  now  four  ounces.     The  object  of  this  is 

~  undoubtedly  to  prevent  this  rapid  means  of  communication  from 

*  '  being  used  for  anything  else  than  important  letters  ;  even  printers' 
proofs  are  excluded,  but  we  expect  that  in  time  the  weight  allowance  will  be 
raised  to  enable  those  who  are  willing  to  pay  for  it  to  use  the  "railway 
letter  "  system  for  larger  packages  of  documents,  providing,  of  course,  that 
the  post  office  obtains  its  proper  share  of  the  spoil,  otherwise  the  proper  rate 
of  postage,  and  the  company  could  still  reap  the  benefit  of  a  multiple  of 
"  twopences  "  in  the  same  ratio. 

Truly  this  "railway  letter"  system  is  capable  of  considerable  improvement, 
both  for  the  benefit  of  the  railway  companies  and  the  public.  We  started  this 
article  with  the  object  of  writing  about  the  stamps,  but  one  point  strikes  us  in 
reference  to  the  system  which  we  think  is  worthy  of  a  little  criticism.  A  few 
Sundays  ago  we  were  anxious  to  get  an  important  letter  to  a  certain  town  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  we  took  it  to  one  of  the  principal  London  railway 
stations,  and  after  some  trouble  succeeded  in  finding  the  parcels  office.  We 
found  that  we  could  send  the  letter,  providing  it  was  a  letter,  and  did  not 
weigh  over  four  ounces,  and,  although  the  green  2d.  labels  appear  to  be  rare, 
we  could  get  one  put  on  (note  that  we  were  not  allowed  to  handle  it  ourselves) ; 
but  the  letter  was  heavy  enough  to  be  possibly  four  ounces,  and  the  authorities 
had  not  provided  scales.  A  friendly  porter  offered  to  get  it  weighed,  and  the 
result  was  about  three  ounces.  Now  comes  the  absurd  part  of  the  story.  A 
railway  letter  requires  an  ordinary  penny  postage  stamp,  in  addition  to  the 
company's  green  2d.  one,  but  the  clerk  in  the  parcels  office  had  no  postage 
stamps.  "  We  are  not  allowed  to  sell  them,"  he  said,  plaintively,  and  from 
his  stolid  indifference  it  appeared  that  he  could  not  even  see  the  ridiculous  side 
of  the  case.  The  Government  permits  you  to  send  a  letter  by  a  certain  system, 
and  it  lays  down  regulations  by  which  you  are  to  pay  threepence  for  its 
transmission  by  a  2d.  railway  stamp  and  a  id.  Government  stamp,  and  you 


102  The  Philatelic  Record. 


are  to  hand  it  in  at  a  railway  station,  but  when  you  get  there  you  cannot  get 
the  necessary  stamp.  The  clerk  in  charge  spoke  of  "  fines  of  twenty  pounds," 
and  other  dreaded  penalties,  but  the  fact  remains  that  we  could  not  send  our 
letter,  as  no  penny  stamp  was  available.  In  the  end  we  secured  brown  paper 
and  string  and  made  a  "  parcel  "  of  it,  and  as  a  parcel  it  was  sent  off  by  the 
railway  company,  by  the  same  train  which  would  have  taken  it  as  a  letter. 
The  whole  point  is  the  absurdity  of  not  allowing  the  railway  companies  to  sell 
penny  stamps.  For  our  own  part  we  have  never  yet  understood  why  anyone 
should  not  be  allowed  to  sell  stamps.  It  is  for  the  public  convenience,  and  it 
increases  the  profits  of  the  Government. 

To  come  to  the  stamps  themselves,  which  is  the  subject  we  originally 
started  upon,  we  agree  with  Mr.  Ewen  that  there  is  no  serious  reason  why 
they  should  not  be  supplied  to  the  public  at  face  value.  It  would  add  to  the 
incomes  of  the  railway  companies,  it  could  not  injure  the  postal  authorities, 
it  would  be  a  great  convenience  to  the  public,  and  it  would  be  common  sense! 
At  present  the  advertised  market  values  of  some  of  the  varieties  are  ridiculously 
high,  and  they  need  not  be  so  if  the  stamps  could  be  obtained  from  the  com- 
panies. But  when  we  say  "  stamps  "  we  do  not  feel  satisfied  that  it  is  the 
proper  definition ;  our  contention  is  that  not  being  postage  stamps,  which 
they  certainly  are  not,  they  have  no  value  from  a  philatelic  point  of  view. 
They  are  not  locals  and  they  are  not  Government  issues,  hence  they  have  no 
philatelic  locus  standi.  We  are  well  aware  that  these  labels  have  been 
"  boomed  "  beyond  all  proportion  to  their  possible  value,  and  we  want  to  know 
who  regulates  these  fancy  prices  of  ios.  to  30s.  each,  of  articles  which  are 
comparatively  modern  and  non -philatelic,  and  who  pays  them  ?  At  best  the 
ordinary  issues  are  not  philatelic  and  of  little  value,  except  perhaps  the 
imperforate,  and  other  varieties  which  are,  no  doubt,  scarce,  as  such  things  go; 
but  the  "  British  specialist"  has  been  overdoing  this  sort  of  thing  for  some 
time  past,  while  so  many  other  and  undoubted  postal  issue  still  await  the  study 
and  research  of  the  enthusiast. 


Our        ^e  re&ret  *hat  there  is  no  interview  this  month,  but  it  is  not  our 

...  fault.     We  have  had  two  in  stock  for  sometime,  but  in  both  cases 

we  have,  up  to  the  present,  been  unable  to  obtain  the  photographs 

of  our  victims.     We  therefore  defer  the  matter  until  our  next  number,  when 

we  hope  to  start  again,  and  to  give  some  interesting  information. 


Fiscal  Notes.  103 


Fiscal     Notes. 

Contributed  by   A.  PRESTON    PEARCE. 


IT  does  not  appear  to  be  probable  that  the  financial  proposals  of  our 
Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer  will  result  in  any  extension  of  the  long 
list  of  British  revenues.  Should  an  issue  of  adhesives  be  found 
desirable,  it  is  expected  that  the  stamps  will  savour  strongly  of  the 
"  Goschens  "  referred  to  in  the  April  number,  and  it  is  to  be  remarked 
that  through  the  latest  concession  the  percentage  charge  becomes  the  same  as 
in  this  former  Transfer  Duty. 

The  rumour  comes  that  the  evidence  of  payment  will  be  supplied  by  the 
employment  of  impressed  stamps,  and  when  I  referred  to  the  extreme 
inconvenience  of  having  to  send  the  shares  and  certificates  affected  by  the 
new  duty  to  Somerset  House,  I  was  informed  that  there  are  two  offices  in 
the  City  where  securities  can  be  stamped. 


To  avoid  mixing  things  up  too  much,  I  had  better  finish  my  say  about  our 
own  stamps  before  going  abroad. 

Mr.  Morley  has  shown  me  a  circular  stamp,  25mm.  in  diameter,  bearing 
the  youthful  profile  of  Queen  Victoria  to  the  left,  with  the  word  "  Customs" 
twice  repeated  above,  but  separated  by  a  star,  and  the  value — one  penny — 
below.  The  impression  is  in  blue,  with  inscriptions  in  thin  white  slightly 
raised  capitals,  on  stout  white  wove  unwatermarked  paper.  The  stamp  is 
not  perforated,  but  is  cut  square  with  large  margins,  and  as  it  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  gummed  it  may  be  a  non-adhesive  or  an  essay,  or 
(though  not  without  trepidation  dare  I  suggest  it)  even  a  cutting  from  some 
hitherto  unnoted  official  postal  stationery.  Can  any  reader  furnish  information 
concerning  it  ? 

A  valued  correspondent,  who  is  "something  in  the  City,"  draws  my 
attention  to  the  fact  that  "  Sea  policy "  stamps  are  commonly  used  on 
transfers  of  stock.  Some  correspondence  anent  the  correct  designation  of 
these  labels  passed  between  Mr.  Lundy  and  myself  about  a  year  ago,  and  I 
remember  that  he  wanted  to  term  them  general  duties.  Against  this,  I 
could  only  urge  the  fact  that  the  official  title  on  the  Inland  Revenue  stock 
lists  is  marine  policies,  and  that,  as  far  as  I  knew,  their  employment  on  other 
documents  might  only  be  temporary.  Now,  however,  it  is  fairly  apparent 
that  the  title  hitherto  used  is  too  restricted,  and  Mr.  Lundy's  suggestion  may 
have  to  be  adopted. 

Certain  questions,  though,  present  themselves  at  once,  for,  inasmuch  as 
there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  until  recently  the  stamps  of  this  character 
were  only  used  on  policies  of  marine  insurance,  where  is  the  dividing  line  to 
be  drawn,  and  how  is  the  division  to  be  made  ?  If  the  former  query  can  be 
satisfactorily   settled,    the   latter    might   not    present   much    difficulty,    and 


104  The  Philatelic  Record. 

doubtless  the  specialist  catalogue  of  the  near  future  will  contain  some  such 
headings  as  : — 

MARiNe  Insurance  Policies  (adhesive). 
1850. 
and,  further  on  : — 

Marine  Policies  and    General  Duties. 

18S7. 

The  term  "adhesive"  is  advisedly   inserted,  for,  although    it    may    be 

news  to  many,  it  is,  nevertheless,  a  fact  that  a  stamp  duty  on  policies  against 

losses  by  sea  was  first  imposed  in  this  country  in  1694,  though  the  percentage 

duty  on  the  sum  insured  dates  only  from  1795. 


I  am  now  in  a  position  to  give  a  list  of  the  stamp  duties  in  force  in 
Newfoundland,  and  as  it  contains  a  sufficiently  curious  array  of  titles,  some 
of  which  are  strangely  suggestive,  I  propose  to  give  an  exact  copy  of  the 
statement  furnished  by  my  correspondent. 

The  stamps  are  used  in  lieu  and  in  payment  of  the  fees  payable  under 
the  following  Acts  : — 

Crown  Lands,  Timber,  Mines  and  Minerals,  Registration  of  Births,  Marriages  and 
Deaths,  Judicature  Act,  Central  and  Harbour  Grace  District  Courts,  Courts  of  Session, 
Stipendiary  Magistrates  and  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Trial  by  Jury,  Registration  of  Deeds, 
Liens  of  Mechanics  and  others,  Hawkers  and  Pedlars  being  foreigners. 

Patents,  Copyrights,  Trademarks,  Registration  of  Certificates  to  Masters  and  Mates, 
Pilots  and  Pilotages,  Harbour  Regulations,  Licenses  for  Sale  of  Intoxicating  Liquors, 
Illegitimacy,  Keeping  of  Dogs,  Naturalization  of  Aliens,  Preservation  of  Deer. 

Cheques  drawn  on  banks  in  Newfoundland  do  not  bear  a  stamp. 

Fortunately  it  has  not  been  considered  necessary  to  have  special 
stamps  for  each  duty,  and  the  single  set  of  nine  values,  listed  and  illustrated 
in  the  April  number  of  Stamps,  serves  for  the  whole.  I  am  informed  that 
the  higher  values  will  be  chiefly  used  on  Probates  of  Wills,  which,  however, 
are  not  mentioned  in  the  above  list,  though  they  may  be  included  in  the 
term  "  Registration  of  Deeds." 

The  only  used  copy  that  has  yet  come  my  way  is  the  specimen  of  the 
$1  value,  which  was  cancelled  at  Her   Majesty's  Customs  Office,  St.  John's. 


Non-collectors  of  revenue  stamps  frequently  express  great  surprise  at 
the  magnificent  designs  and  exquisite  workmanship  displayed  by  such  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  objects  of  our  search  ;  and,  as  the  ordinary 
solution  of  anticipated  sales  to  collectors  is  felt  to  be  inapplicable,  they  are 
apt  to  be  much  puzzled  to  account  for  the  fact. 

There  is,  however,  a  perfectly  legitimate  reason  for  the  lavish  ornamen- 
tations that  is  so  characteristic  of  the  fiscal  emissions  of  several  countries, 
and  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  motives  that  prompt  the  usual  adoption  of  such 
beautiful  and  intricate  designs  for  bank  notes  and  other  forms  of  paper 
money. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  my  collection  contains  as  many  specimens 
originally  costing  me  one  pound  each  as  there  would  be  found  one  shilling 
values  in  a  general  collection  of  postage  stamps  of  the  same  size,  and  I  might 
be  able  to  cover  each  five  shilling  stamp  by  a  five  pound  one,  so  it  will  be 
readily  seen  that  the  temptation  of  forgery  is  much  greater  in  the  case  of 
fiscals  than  in  that  of  postage  stamps,  and  the  danger  has  to  be  guarded 
against  as  best  it  may. 

Frequently  the  authorities  adopt  a  course  which,  as  in  the  case  under 
notice,  produces  a  most  pleasing  state  of  affairs,  but  sometimes  the  result  is 
far  less  desirable,  and  I  shall  revert  to  this  subject  again. 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition.  10; 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition, 


MANCHESTER,  JUNE  29th  TO  JULY  6th,  1899. 


Held  Under  the  Auspices   of   the   Manchester   Philatelic   Society. 


rHE  time  for  the  opening  of  the  Manchester  Exhibition  is  now  rapidly 
approaching,  and  everything  points  to  a  most  successful  week.  There 
will  be  no  less  than  160  medals,  and  the  Executive  Committee  have 
left  nothing  undone  that  could  in  any  way  aid  the  success  of  what 
promises  to  be  the  most  important  philatelic  exhibition  ever  held. 
To  give  some  of  our  readers  an  idea  of  the  importance  of  the  undertaking  we 
publish  the  following  list  of  the  supporters  of  the  undertaking  : — 

Patron.— H.R.H.  The  Duke  of  York,  K.G. 

The  following  Societies  have  signified  their  approval : — The  Philatelic 
Society,  London ;  Internationaler  Pliilatelistenverein,  Dresden  ;  Societe 
Francaise de Timbrologie,  Paris;  Societa  Filatelica  Lombarda;  The  Philatelic 
Society,  India  ;  Nederlandsche  Vereeniging  van  Postzegelverzamelaars, 
Amsterdam  ;  Birmingham  Philatelic  Society,  Bradford  Philatelic  Society, 
Brighton  Philatelic  Society,  Bristol  and  Clifton  Philatelic  Society,  Herts 
Philatelic  Society,  Leeds  Philatelic  Society,  Oxford  Philatelic  Society,  Ply- 
mouth Philatelic  Society,  the  Scottish  Philatelic  Society,  Sheffield  Philatelic 
Society,  International  Philatelic  Union. 

Executive  Committee. — J.  H.  Abbott,  F.  Barratt,  W.  Doming  Beckton, 
A.  Buxton,  M.  P.  Castle,  C.  H.  Coote,  G.  B.  Duerst,  D.  S.  Garson,  O.  Gillett, 
W.  Grunewald,  A.  H.  Harrison,  J.  E.  Heginbottom,  J.  R.  Hesketh,  W.  W. 
Munn,  J.  C.  North,  D.  Ostara,  T.  Oxley,  E.  Petri,  Vernon  Roberts,  N.  Wan- 
stall  ;  chairman  of  committee,  W.  Doming  Beckton  ;  hon.  treasurer,  Ernest 
Petri;  hon.  secretary,  G.  Fred  H.  Gibson. 

The  following  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  will  undertake  the 
correspondence  in — German,  G.  B.  Duerst ;  Italian  and  Spanish,  E.  Petri ; 
French,  W.  Grunewald.  All  communications  to  be  addressed  to  the  "  Exhi- 
bition Committee  Rooms,"  2,  Cooper  Street,  Manchester. 

The  following  well-known  Philatelists  have  promised  their  support : — 
C.  A.  van  der  Abeelen,  J.  G.  Adamson,  G.  A.  Anderson,  Cav.  Salvatore 
Arbib,  Count  d'Assche,  W.  B.  Avery,  E.  D.  Bacon,  Attilio  Barocci,  Mrs.  C. 
A.  Baynes,  L.  A.  Beausar,  A.  Beddig,  Edmund  van  der  Beeck,  F.  A.  Bel- 
lamy, f.r.a.s.,  f.r.  Met.  Soc.,  W.  W.  Blest,  Bright  &  Son,  W.  Brown,  Leon 
Brummer,  Buhl  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  F.  F.  Burghard,  M.S.,  f.r.c.s.,  Lieut-Colonel 
St.  L.  Burrowes,  Geo.  Calif  &  Co.,  Cav.  uff.  Vittorio  E.  Capanna,  Stanley  M. 
Castle,  William  Cowland,  Albert  Coyette,  A.  B.  Creeke,  Junr.,  R.  Dalton, 
E.  S.  Davidson,  Alfred  A.  Davis,  H.  F.  W.  Deane,  Dr.  Emilio  Diena, 
Marchese  Domenico  Pallavicino,  T.  Phipps  Dorman,  Robert  Ehrenbach, 
Douglas  Ellis,  H.  L'Estrange  Ewen,  Major  E.  B.  Evans,  Henri  Fiacre,  A. 
E.  Fiecchi,  Carlo  Fino,  O.  Firth,  William  Fish,  m.a.,  Rudolph  Frentzel, 
Eduard  Fiirstenau,  Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd.,  Fredk.  R.  Ginn,  Thomas  Girtin, 
Francesco  Gnecchi,  J.  H.  Townsend  Green,  Henry  Grey,  T.  W.  Hall,  J.  H. 
Hallett,  m.i.c.e.,  m.i.m.e.,  m. i.n. a.,  Leslie  R.  Hausburg,  Henry  Hetley,  m.d., 


io6 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Rev.  E.  Oldridge  de  la  Hey,  G.  J.  Hymes,  W.  E.  Image,  j.p.,  d.l.,  G.  John- 
son, b.a.,  T.  Wickham  Jones,  W.  R.  L.  Joynt,  Whitfield,  King  &  Co., 
Jonkheer  C.  Ph.  L.  van  Kinschot,  Georg  Kirchner,  Dr.  jur.  P.  Kloss,  C.  F. 
Larmour,  G.  F.  Lehman,  Eliot  Levy,  Paul  Lietzow,  W.  S.  Lincoln,  P.  J. 
Lloyd,  J.  A.  Loli,  Julius  Lossau,  Henry  Loveridge,  J.  N.  Luff,  C.  McNaugh- 
ton,  D.  J.  Macfie,  Pierre  Mahe,  Mrs.  Marshall,  C.  F.  Dendy  Marshall,  W. 
Matthews,  Carlos  Matzenauer,  Rudolph  Meyer,  Dr.  J.  Michelsen,  H.  M. 
Millington,  J.  B.  Moens,  Walter  Morley,  E.  S.  Moser,  Prof.  O.  V.  Muller, 
W.  J.  Myers,  Edward  J.  Nankivell,  John  A.  Nix,  H.  R.  Oldfield,  H.  G. 
Palliser,  m.i.c.e.,  W.  R.  Palmer,  Prince  A.  Doria  Pamphilj,  J.  F.  Peace,  W. 
H.  Peckitt,  J.  Lee  Pike,  F.  Ransom,  Rev.  G.  H.  Raynor,  m.a.,  Rev.  P.  E. 
Raynor,  Ad.  Reinheimer,  Thomas  Ridpath,  L.  Risigari,  J.  B.  Robert,  W. 
Denison  Roebuck,  Dr.  Rommel,  Adolf  Rosenberg,  George  Bell  Routledge, 
E.  H.  Selby,  P.  Aylwin  Selfe,  Ad.  Schoeller,  J.  Schlesinger,  W.  Schwabacher, 
W.  H.  Scott,  Walter  Scott,  S.  C  Skipton,  T.  Kershaw  Skipwith,  H.  A. 
Slade,  Alfred  Smith  &  Son,  Gordon  Smith,  m.a.,  G.  Hamilton  Smith  &  Co., 
J.  E.  Sparrow,  A.  H.  Stamford,  R.  Tyeth  Stevens,  Ernst  Stock,  Major  G.  W. 
Stockdale,  r.e.,  Lieut. -Colonel  H.  A.  Tapp,  Taylor  Brothers,  J.  A.  Tilleard, 
John  G.  Tolhurst,  Dr.  C.  W.  Viner,  W.  A.  Walker,  Rob.  Weidenhagen, 
W.  A.  S.  Westoby,  Harold  J.  White,  C.  Stewart  Wilson,  W.  T.  Wilson, 
Baron  A.  de  Worms,  Baron  P.  de  Worms. 


Mexico.  107 


exico. 

A  short  review    of   Mr.  Rudolph    Frentzel's    collection,  which   will 
be  on  view  at  the  Manchester  Exhibition. 

►E  have  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  this  wonderful  collection  of 
the  postage  stamps  of  Mexico,  and  have  written  a  short  account, 
which  may  interest  many  of  our  readers. 

The  first  issue,  1856,  is  shown  used  and  unused,  with  and 
without  surcharge,  also  some  Habilitados  and  other  varieties,  and 
some  splits.  The  i860  issue  contains  errors  of  the  half  real  and  one  real, 
some  varieties  and  some  splits.  The  1863  issue  contains  a  set  imperf., 
two  stamps  postally  used  and  various  surcharges.  The  Eagle  issue  1864 
is  shown  in  great  variety  both  unused  and  used,  including  three  3  centavos, 
one  of  which  is  postally  used,  also  Habilitados  and  manY  stamps  with 
counter  numbers.  The  Maximilian  issue  1866  comprises  all  the  surcharged 
varieties  of  the  previous  issue,  also  some  errors  and  essays.  The  pro- 
visional issue  of  1867  is  shown  in  great  variety,  both  unused  and  used, 
with  and  without  watermarks.  The  locals  of  1867  are  represented  by 
the  25c.  and  50c.  Campeche,  J,  1  and  2  reals  of  Chiapas,  and  some  140 
stamps  of  Guadalajara.  The  1868  issue  is  represented  by  a  few  sets  of 
unused  stamps  showing  the  various  perforations,  Anatados,  Habilitados, 
&c.  In  the  1872  issue  are  shown  several  blocks  of  watermarked  stamps, 
also  three  stamps  on  laid  paper,  and  some  used  and  unused  stamps,  both 
with  and  without  moire  on  backs.  The  1S74-77  and  1878-83  issues  are 
represented  by  used  and  unused  stamps,  containing  several  sets  of  coloured 
surcharges  and  many  unpublished  varieties.  The  1879  and  1882  issues 
are  represented  like  the  preceding  issues,  and  contain  also  many  unpub- 
lished varieties.  The  1884  issue  contains  some  imperforated  stamps,  some 
curious  surcharges,  &c.  The  remainder  of  the  issues  are  mostly  represented 
by  unused  sets. 

N.B. — Only  part  of  the  collection  will  be  shown. 


io8  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 

BY 

C.  FORBES  (Secretary  and  Librarian,  the  Central  Philatelic  Club). 
(Continued  from  page  90. ) 

Note. — Referring  to  the  third  issue,  the  following  variety  was  inad- 
vertently omitted  from  the  reference  list : — 
Page  63  (please  add)  Variety. 
5  Shahi,  pair. 

Perf  13  at  sides,  12J  at  top  and  bottom. 
Imperf.  between. 

Reprints  of  1875,  1S76,  and  1S78  issues. 


About  the  end  of  the  year  1S85,  a  number  of  orders  from  English  and 
European  dealers  for  the  first  issues  of  Persia  began  to  pour  in  to  the  Post- 
master at  the  chief  office  at  Teheran.  As  very  few  of  the  stamps  of  these 
issues  were  in  stock  they  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do  in  the  matter.  To  return 
the  money  was  impossible  to  a  Persian  official  (the  very  idea  of  returning 
money  once  received  for  an  article,  even  if  they  are  unable  to  supply  the 
same,  is  almost  out  of  the  question  with  an  Oriental);  a  bright  idea  entered 
their  heads.  Why  not  take  out  the  old  dies,  which  unfortunately  for  collectors 
had  not  been  destroyed,  and  have  further  stamps  printed  from  them  ? 

The  Postmaster  of  Teheran,  who  was  then  about  to  go  to  Paris  to 
negotiate  for  the  designing  and  printing  of  a  new  issue  of  stamps,  had  the 
dies  entrusted  to  his  care,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  stamp  world  was  flooded 
with  all  kinds  of  varieties,  printed  in  all  sorts  of  colours,  and  on  white  and 
coloured  papers.  These  stamps  were  only  printed  from  certain  of  the  dies, 
as  many  of  them  were  too  worn  to  be  of  any  use.  These  so-called  reprints 
were  afterwards  sold  with  forged  postal  obliterations,  the  more  readily  to 
deceive  the  unwary. 

The  majority  of  these  reprints  are,  however,  very  easily  detected, 
especially  the  unused,  being  printed  on  thick  white  wove  writing  paper,  with 
a  quantity  of  white  gum.  In  cases  where  the  stamps  had  been  post-marked, 
it  is  not  so  easy  to  detect  them  at  the  present  time,  especially  when  they 
have  been  washed,  and  been  handled  by  collectors  a  number  of  times.  The 
general  appearance  of  these  reprints  is  against  them,  as  the  dies,  having  been 
very  much  worn,  they  were  slightly  re-cut,  and  the  stamps  being  printed 
in  Paris  have  a  much  clearer  impression.  In  pointing  out,  as  far  as  possible, 
the  various  differences  between  the  originals  and  the  reprints,  the  four  type 
or  die  varieties  will  still  be  designated  as  dies  A,  B,  C,  and  D. 

All  the  tollowing  reprints  were  issued  imperforate,  in  strips  and  blocks 
of  four  to  each  value. 

1875,  1876,  and  1878  issues. 

Values,  1  shahi,  1  kran,  and  1  toman,  printed  from  type  "  B." 

The  reprint  of  these  values  are  easily  distinguished  from  the  originals, 
there  being  a  broad  white  circle  round  the  numerate  of  value,  especially 
noticeable  in  the  1  shahi  value ;  the  pearls  of  the  circles  are  plainer  and 
heavier,  and  the  figure  of  value  under  the  belly  of  the  lion  is  invariably  a 
Roman  "  I,"  instead  of  an  Arabic  "1." 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  109 


Paper,  thick  Avhite 

wove. 

Colours  : 

1  Shahi,  black 

1       ,,       grey  black 

1  Kran,  yellow  (shades) 

1       ,,     carmine 

Yellow  wove  paper. 

1   Kran,  rose 

I       ,,      red 

White  wove  paper. 

1  Toman,  bronze 

1         , ,       gold 

Blue  wove  paper. 

1  Toman,  gold 

1         ,,       bronze 

Yellow  wove  paper. 

1  Toman,  bronze 

1         ,,       gold 

1875,  J876  issue. 
Value  2  shahi. 

Printed  on  white  wove  paper  only,  from  Type  "A." 
Colours : 

2  Shahi,  blue 

2       ,,        ultramarine 

2       ,,        black 

2       ,,        grey  black 

The  reprints  of  this  value  are  blurred,  the  die  being  much  worn,  and 
very  slightly  re-touched ;  the  stamps  have  the  appearance  of  having  been 
printed  in  a  hurry.  They  generally  have  the  outer  frame  on  the  left,  and 
at  the  bottom  broken,  and  in  some  specimens  the  frame  is  almost 
undiscernable. 

1875,  1876,  and  1878  issues. 
Values,  4  shahi  and  4  krans. 
Printed  from  Type  "  D." 
Paper :  White  wove. 

4  Shahi,  red 
4       ,,        vermilion 
4  Krans,  yellow 
4       ,,        orange 
4       ,,        blue 

Pink  paper 
4  Krans,  blue 
Printed  from  Type  "A." 
White  paper. 

4  Krans  green. 
The  reprints  of  th  e4  Shahi,  red  and  vermilion,  and  the  4  Krans,  yellow 
and  orange,  are  not  in  all  cases  easily  distinguished  from  the  originals  ;  the 
chief  distinctions,  however,  are  that  the  outer  line  of  the  frame  in  the 
originals  is  thick  and  the  inner  line  thin,  whilst  in  the  reprints  the  two  lines  of 
the  framework  are  about  the  same  thickness.  In  the  reprints  also  there  is  a 
thick  white  line  commencing  from  under  the  figure  "4"  in  the  ornaments 
under  the  Lion,  and  extending  almost  to  the  circle  of  pearls.  This  line  is 
evidently  caused  through  the  die  having  been  dented,  or  struck  in  some  way 
before  it  had  been  printed  from.  This  white  line,  which  is  very  conspicuous 
when  once  pointed  out,  does  not  appear  at  all  on  the  originals. 

The  other  printings,  4  Krans  blue  on  pink  paper,  and  the  4  Krans  green 
on  white,  are  easily  detected,  owing  to  their  wrong  colours. 

1875  issue. 
Value  :  8  Shahi. 
Paper :  White  wove. 


no 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Printed  from  dies  "  B  "  and  "  C." 

Colours  : 

8  Shahi,  green 
8       ,,       blue 
1878  issue. 

Value:  5  Krans. 

Printed  irom  dies  "  A"  and  "  D,"  of  the  8  Shahi,  the  figure  8  of  which 
had  been  altered  to  5  for  printing  the  original  5  Kran  values. 

Co  lours  : 

5  Krans,  lilac  and  violet 

5       ,,       bronze  and  red  bronze 

5       -•        gold 

These  reprints  (with  the  exception  of  the  8  Shahi  blue,  which  of  course 
is  the  wrong  colour)  are  very  similar  to  the  originals  ;  the  remark  above, 
with  reference  to  the  outer  frame  of  the  4  Shahi  value,  is  also  applicable  to 
both  the  8  Shahi  and  5  Kran  values. 

Note. — With  reference  to  the  above  lists,  and  remarks  on  the 
reprints  of  the  early  issues,  I  have  endeavoured  to  explain,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
chief  differences  between  these  stamps  and  the  genuine  ones  ;  but  I  would  like 
to  point  out  to  my  readers  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  explain  on  paper  all  the 
minor  differences.  It  is  only  by  studying  them,  and  comparing  with  absolutely 
genuine  copies  that  it  is  possible  to  detect  all  of  them;  especially  is  this  the 
case  were  the  stamps  have  been  postmarked.  The  reprints  are,  as  a  rule, 
being  printed  in  Paris,  far  superior  in  appearance  to  the  originals. 

The  5  Kran  and  1  Toman  values  were  also  issued  perforated. 

Note. — It  is  scarcely  right  to  call  all  the  above  stamps  reprints,  because 
a  reprint  is,  as  the  word  implies,  a  further  printing  from  the  original  dies, 
after  an  issue  has  become  obsolete;  whereas  in  the  above  instances,  as  only  one, 
and  in  some  cases  twoout  of  four,  of  the  original  dies  of  each  value  were  used 
for  printing  purposes,  it  is  obvious  that  other  dies  must  have  been  prepared, 
otherwise  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  print  them  as  they  did,  in  strips 
and  blocks  of  four,  so  as  to  imitate  the  originals  as  much  as  possible. 

To  accomplish  this  feat  lithographic  transfers  were  made,  and  new 
blocks  prepared,  from  these  stamps  were  printed  in  all  manner  of  colours 
and  on  various  coloured  papers. 

In  the  opinion  of  the  writer  these  printings  should  not  be  called  reprints  ; 
their  proper  name  should  be  "  Official  Imitations  or  Counterfeits."  I  designate 
them  as  "official"  because  this  issue  was  authorised  to  be  printed  by  the 
Persian  Government  for  sale  to  collectors  and  dealers,  and  they  never  were 
intended  to  do  postal  service,  nor  have  any  of  them  ever  been  used  for  this 
purpose.  Unfortunately,  however,  for  the  philatelist,  the  official  who  gave 
orders  for  their  printing  was  not  satisfied  with  printing  them  in  their  correct 
colours,  but  also  issued  a  lot  of  each  value  in  all  manner  of  colours,  etc.,  as 
described  above. 

Note. — In  a  later  number  I  hope  to  have  plates  of  the  above  issue 
photographed,  so  as  to  show  plainly  the  position  and  formation,  etc.,  of  the 
various  figures  which  constitute  the  type  or  die  varieties. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  in 

Fifth  issue,  February,   1879. 
Values  :  1  and  5  Krans. 
Typographed. 

Printed  in  Vienna  from  the  plates  of  the  1  and  5  Shahi  values  of  the 
1876  issue  (head  type),  but  with  a  coloured  border  added,  about  one-eighth  of 
an  inch  in  width  round  the  framework. 

Paper  :  Thick  hard  white  wove  ;  thin  soft  white  wove. 
Note. —  In  the  stamps  of  this  issue,  as  in  previous  issues,  the  different 
values  are  not  shown  on  the  stamps,   and    can   only  be  told  by  the  various 
colours  of  the  borders. 

Perf.   12. 

1  Kran,  black,  brown  border. 
5       ..  ..        blue  ,, 

Perf.   i2\. 

1  Kran,  black,  brown  border. 
5      ,,  ,,        blue 

Perf.  13. 

1  Kran,  black,  biown  border. 
5       .,  ..        blue  ,, 

Perf.   12  x   13. 

1  Kran,  black,  brown  border. 
5       ..  .,        blue 

Perf.   12J  x  13. 
5  Kran,   black,  blue  border. 
l'erf.   12J  x  11J. 
1   Kran,   black,  brown  border. 
Perf.    12J  x   12  or  12  x   12J. 
5  Kran.  black,  blue  border. 
Varieties. 
Imperforate. 

1  Kran,  black,  brown  border. 
5       >■  ,1        blue  ,, 

Provisional  issue. 

5  Shahi  envelope  stamp,  cut  from  envelope  and  used  as  adhesive. 
Note. — With  the  1876  issue  (head  of  Shah),  printed  in  Vienna,  there 
were  included  a  quantity  of  envelopes  of  the  value  of  5  Shahi.  The  die  of  the 
5  Shahi  stamp  was  not  used  for  these  envelopes.  A  new  one  was  made, 
very  similar,  but  differing  in  many  minor  points.  They  are  also  slightly 
larger  in  size. 

When  the  envelopes  were  sent  to  Persia  very  few  were  actually 
used,  and  then  only  by  the  Post  Office  officials  and  a  few  merchants.  Very 
few  knew  their  use,  and  they  had  been  put  aside  and  almost  forgotten, 
except  by  the  officials.  Having  run  short  of  stamps  of  this  value,  and,  while 
expecting  shortly  the  remainder  of  the  new  series,  they  were  forced  to  use 
these  envelope  stamps.  The  stamps  in  question  were  cut  from  the  envelopes 
and  sold  as  adhesives. 

This  issue  is  perfectly  bona-fide,  as  they  were  properly  authorised 
by  the  Government.  Great  care  should  be  used  by  the  collectors  in 
buying  these  stamps,  and  those  only  when  on  the  originals  can  be 
considered  to  have  been  used  as  described  above.  The  writer  has  in  his 
collection  two  of  these  stamps  cut  from  envelopes,  used  side  by  side  on  a 
letter  to  the  value  of  10  Shahi. 

January,  1880,  continuation  of  fifth  issue. 

Values:   1,   2,   5,  and   10  Shahi. 

Typographed. 

Perforated. 

Printed  in  Vienna  from  the  plates  of  the  1,  2,  5,  and  10  Shahi  of  the 
1876  issue  (head  type),  but  with  a  coloured  border  added  similar  to  the  1 
and  5  Krans,  as  previously  described. 


ii2  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Paper  :  White  wove. 

Perf.   12. 

1  Shahi,  black,  red  border. 

2  ,,  ,,       yellow  border. 

5       -  ..        8reen         .» 

io       ,,  ,,       violet        ,,       (shades). 
Perf.   i2|. 

i  Shahi,  black,  red  border. 

2       ,,  ,,       yellow  border. 

5       ,,  ,,        green         „ 

io       ,,  ,,       violet        ,, 
Perf.   13. 

1  Shahi,  black,  red  border. 

2  ,,  ,,        yellow  border. 
5       „  „        green         „ 

10       ,,  „        violet         ,, 

Perf.  12  x  13. 

1  Shahi,  black,  red  border. 

2  ,,  ,,       yellow  border. 
5       •-  ..        green 

Perf.    12A  x  13  or  13  x  12J. 

I   Shahi,  black,  red  border. 

5       .,  ,,        green     ,, 

10       ,,  ,,        violet    ,, 

Reprints. 

The  above  series  were  officially  reprinted,  or,  more  properly  speaking, 
counterfeited,  in  the  year  1885,  at  the  same  time  as  the  early  issues.  It  has 
always  been  stated  that  these  stamps  were  reprinted  from  the  die  of  the  5 
Shahi  envelope.  This  statement  is  entirely  erroneous.  It  is  true  they  were 
not  printed  from  the  originals,  as  some  of  the  dies  were  getting  slightly  worn, 
but,  by  order  of  the  Shah,  a  new  head  was  engraved  and  inserted  in  the  old 
frame.  These  new  heads  are  very  similar  to  that  of  the  5  Shahi  envelope  ; 
in  fact,  this  design  was  taken  as  a  copy,  but  there  are  several  differences,  the 
chief  being  that  the  inside  circle  is  much  smaller,  and  the  whole  of  the  appear- 
ance of  the  head  is  more  sharply  defined.  If  the  two  stamps  are  compared 
side  by  side  many  minor  points  of  difference  can  be  noted.  The  difference 
between  these  Government  counterfeits  and  the  originals  can  readily  be  seen. 
The  inside  circle  is  smaller,  the  ground  lines  are  farther  apart  from  one 
another,  the  nose  is  more  crooked,  and  the  head-dress  is  lower  and  of  a  some- 
what different  design. 

Note. — There  are  no  reprints  of  this  design  without  the  coloured  borders, 
consequently  any  collector  in  doubt  as  to  the  genuineness  of  any  of  his  speci- 
mens should  compare  them  with  the  stamps  of  the  1876  issues,  from  which 
plates  all  the  1879  and  1880  issues  were  printed. 

Paper :  White  wove. 

Perforated. 

Printed  in  Paris. 


Perf.  12. 

2  Shahi, 

black, 

yellow  border. 

2       ,, 

,, 

blue          ,, 

5       ,, 

>  1 

green 

5       .. 

,, 

red            ,, 

1   Kran, 

pale  brown  border. 

Perf.   13. 

2  Shahi, 

black, 

3'ellow  border. 

2       ,, 

blue           ,, 

I  Kran, 

pale  brown  border. 

Perf.  12 

x  13 

2  Shahi, 

black, 

yellow  border. 

2       ,, 

,, 

blue           ,, 

5       ,, 

,, 

green        ,, 

5 

red 

;o 

red-violet  border. 

1   Kran 

I( 

brown 

The  Stamps  of  Persia. 


113 


Perf.   12J  x  13. 

2  Shahi,  black,  yellow  border. 

2       ,,  ,,        blue  ,, 

1  Kran        ,,        brown       ,, 
Note. — There  are  no  counterfeits   of    the    1    Shahi  black  and  red,  or 
the  5  Kran  black  and  blue.     There  were  only  four  plates  to  use  to  print  the 
six  values.     The  2  Shahi  was  printed  as  black  and  yellow  and  black  and  blue, 
and  the  5  Shahi  as  black  and  green  and  black  and  red. 

(To  be  continued.) 


We  are  sorry  to  find  that  in  our  March 
number  we  made  a  mistake,  or  rather,  three 
mistakes.  When  quoting  from  the  Philatelic 
Journal  of  India  we  referred  to  that  excellent 
journal  as  the  Indian  Philatelist.  The  former 
is  the  correct  title,  the  magazine  being  the 
organ  of  the  Philatelic  Society  of  India. 

Very  few  countries  nowadays  are  without 
their  own  set  of  postage  stamps  and  postal 
stationery. 

In  Europe  there  only  remain  two  small 
territories  which  are  still  without  postage 
stamps — in  the  Republic  of  Andorra,  in  the 
Pyrenees,  and  the  principality  of  Liech- 
tenstein between  the  Tyrol  and  Switzerland — 
neither  of  which  is  likely  to  establish  an 
independent  postal  system  unless  the  revenue 
falls  off,  and  the  issue  of  postage  stamps 
appears  likely  to  replenish  it. 


In  Africa  the  vast  empire  of  Morocco  has 
no  government  series  of  stamps  so  far,  and 
as  England  and  France  maintain  post  offices 
at  the  ports,  it  is  probable  that  all  require- 
ments are  fulfilled  by  these  and  various 
services  of  carriers  which  exist. 


The  State  of  Oman,  in  Arabia  (which  was 
very  much  to  the  fore  in  the  newspapers 
lately),  still  remains  outside  the  philatelic 
fold,  but  the  vastness  of  its  trade  and  its 
close  relations  with  India  lead  to  the  belief 
that  the  authorities  may  follow  the  example 
of  their  kinsfolk  in  Zanzibar,  and  join  the 
postal  union. 

The  British  colony  of  New  Guinea, 
although  already  a  member  of  the  postal 
union,  has  no  stamps  as  yet  but  no  doubt  an 
issue  will  take  place  when  the  population 
reaches  numbers  sufficient  to  warrant  it. 

Various  States  in  Central  Asia,  such  as 
Bokhara  and  Khiva,  Thibet  and  Baluchistan, 
issue  no  postage  stamps,  but  as  they  all  form 
practically  parts  of  the  Russian,  Chinese,  or 
British  empires  it  is  hardly  likely  that  they 
will  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  stamps. 

There  are  various  islands  in  different  parts 
of  the  world,  notably  Ascension,  which  have 
no  stamps,  but  in  no  case  does  their  size 
warrant  the  belief  that  an  issue  will  take 
place.  —Stamb  Collectors'  Journal. 


Stanley  Gibbons  state  they  have  shipped 
^'600  worth  of  their  new  albums  to  Austra- 
lasia. Judging  from  that  statement,  phil- 
ately  does   not   seem   to   be   at  all   on   the 

downward  path. 


The  story  goes  that  the  well-known 
Chicago  stamp  dealer,  Mr.M.  P.  Wollsieffer, 
recently  advertised  his  willingness  to  sell 
stamps  at  50  per  cent,  of  their  value,  mean- 
ing, of  course,  catalogue  value.  Imagine  his 
astonishment  on  receiving  a  visit  from  a 
gentleman  who  expected  to  get  unused  two 
cent  U.S.A.  stamps  of  the  current  issue  at 
one  cent  apiece.  That  gentleman,  like  many 
another,  wanted  to  economise  on  his  postage 
bill;  but  Mr.  Wollsieffer  could  not  oblige 
him. 

20,000  Stamps  Stolen. 

Harry  Frank,  29,  who  described  himself 
as  a  wood-carver,  living  at  1,  Cannon  Street 
Road,  E.,  was  charged  at  the  Guildhall  with 
being  concerned  with  a  man  not  in  custody 
in  breaking  and  entering,  on  the  iSth  alt., 
75,  Little  Britain,  and  stealing  therefrom  a 
cash-box  containing  a  £^  note,  an  open 
cheque  for  £2,  two  bills  for  ,£30  and  £26 
respectively,  an  I  O  U  for  ^11,  and  about 
20,000  foreign  and  colonial  used  and  unused 
postage  stamps,  total  value  about  £110,  the 
property  of  Henry  Ross  Shields. 

On  Wednesday  morning  Constable  Staff, 
of  the  H  Division,  saw  the  prisoner  offering 
some  stamps  for  sale  at  44,  St.  George's 
Street,  E. ,  a  second-hand  shop.  Noticing 
he  answered  the  description  of  a  gentleman 
the  police  were  looking  for  as  being  likely  to 
be  in  a  position  to  throw  some  light  upon 
the  mysterious  disappearance  of  property 
in  Little  Britain,  the  officer  asked  him  how 
he  came  by  the  stamps.  He  replied  that  he 
had  been  saving  them  for  years,  and  that 
they  came  from  his  numerous  correspon- 
dents in  New  York  and  Johannesburg.  He 
further  informed  the  officer  that  he  was  no* 
the  man  the  police  wanted,  and  that  he 
(Staff)  would  be  in  the  "  wrong  box"  if  he 
arrested  him.  Notwithstanding  this,  Staff 
removed  him  to  Leman  Street  police-station, 
where  about  4,000  stamps  were  found  upon 
him. 

Detective-Sergeant  Denning,  who  said  he 
believed  the  accused  had  been  convicted 
before,  asked  for  a  remand. 

Prisoner :  Commit  me  to  the  coming 
sessions. 

The  Alderman  remanded  him  for  a  week. 


Items  of  Interest. 


ii5 


The  Philatelists  Francaise  gives  the 
numbers  of  stamps  contained  in  the  albums 
of  some  of  the  leading  German  collectors  as 
follows: — Mr.  A.  Treichel,  of  Hochpale- 
schken,  36,000;  Mr.  J.  landman,  of  Furth, 
32,000:  Mr.  A.  Metzner,  of  Nordhausen, 
28,000;  Dr.  A.  Knizek,  of  Reichemberg, 
21,000;  Mr.  J.  Ott,  of  Freidenau,  19,000; 
Mr.  R.  Kortenbach,  of  Bonn,  14,000  (all 
unused);  Mr.  F.  W.  Cohn,  of  Berlin,  12,000 
(all  unused). — Stamp  Collection  Fortnightly. 


Among  the  exhibits  at  Manchester  will  be 
a  most  interesting  collection  of  the  stamps 
of  New  (or  Boer)  Republic,  which  is  being 
shown  by  Mr.  H.  Marks,  who  will  also 
exhibit  a  fine  collection  of  Transvaals. 

An  American  contemporary  notices  the 
curious  anomaly  caused  by  the  introduction 
of  the  Imperial  penny  post.  A  letter  now 
costs  the  same  as  a  postcard,  both  being  one 
penny  each. 


Our  Monthly  Packets  of 
New  Issues. 


No.   1,  price  One  Shilling  (postage  extra). 
The  May  Packet  contains  : — 

FOUR    VARIETIES  all  unused,  viz: 

Salvador  :  Centenary  Stamps,  ic.  blue 
and  gold,  &c,  5c.  rose  and  gold,  &c.  ; 
Columbia,  Registration  10c.  yellow,  with  sur- 
charge "R  colon  "  in  circle;  Porto  Rico, 
2C  "  Impuesto  de  Guerra." 


No.  2,  price  5s.  (postage  extra). 

The  May  Packet  contains  :— 
12  VARIETIES,  all  unused,  viz. :— Porto 
Rico,  surcharged  "  Habilitado  1898  -  99," 
2m.,  4m.,  ic,  2C,  3c,  4c,  5c,  6c.  and  8c; 
Samoa,  "  Surcharged  2^d."  in  red  on  id. 
green  and  on  1/-  rose  ;  Philippines,  1898-99, 
4  mils  brown. 

These  packets  are  on  sale  until  the  supply  is  ex- 
hausted, and  are  supplied  onlv  to  Subscribers  to  the 
Philatelic  Record  and  Stamp  News.  Similar 
packets  will  be  on  sale  every  month,  and  may 
he  subscribed  for  in  advance  for  the  year  (Janu- 
ary to  December  inclusive),  at  the  following 
rates :  No.  1  packet,  12s.,  postage  extra ;  No.  2 
packet,  60s.,  postage  extra. 

The  subscription  to  the  paper  (5s  per  annum) 
is  extra.— BUHL  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  11,  Queen  Victoria 
St.,  E.G. 


Priced  Catalogue  of  Stamps  of  Foreign 

Countries    (1899),    London,    Stanley 

Gibbons,  Limited. 

We  are  somewhat  late  in  reviewing  this, 
the  second  part  of  Stanley  Gibbons's  Cata- 
logue for  1899,  which  deals  with  all 
adhesive  stamps,  exclusive  of  locals,  other 
than  those  of  the  British  Empire.  Much 
anxiety  was  felt  in  many  quarters  as  to  the 
alteration  in  prices,  which  everyone 
expected  to  be  considerably  reduced,  and  the 
rush  for  "Gibbons  Part  II."  was  conse- 
quently very  great.  On  perusing  the  book 
we  find,  much  to  our  satisfaction,  and  also 
quite  as  we  expected,  that  the  reductions 
are  really  very  unimportant,  and  where  they 
are,  as  in  a  tew  cases,  pretty  considerable, 
they  are  undoubtedly  justified  by  circum- 
stances, and  by  the  current  market  value  of 
the  stamps  themselves.  The  different 
values  of  the  1288  issue  of  Afghanistan 
have  been  reduced  all  round,  and  it  is  only 
proper  that  such  should  be  the  case,  but 
■  against  this  some  of  the  values  of  the  issues 
from  1293  to  1295  have  been  raised  in  price, 
and  when  we  consider  the  large  number  of 
Afghan  stamps  held  by  Messrs.  Gibbons 
from  the  collection  of  the  late  Mr.  Gilbert 
Harrison  we  must  consider  the  prices  as 
being  very  fair.  Many  alterations  are  to  be 
found  in  such  countries  as  Buenos  Ayres, 
Dominican  Republic,  Oldenburg,  &c. ,  and 
the  stamps  of  Persia  have,  as  we  expected, 
"  gone  up "  considerably,  but  we  see  no 
important  reductions,  unless  it  be  in  some  of 
the  old  European  countries,  such  as  Spain. 
We  are  glad  to  see  that  our  old  complaint 
has  been  partly  rectified,  inasmuch  as  we 
now  find  "Sweden  and  Norway"  as  a 
heading,  whereas  the  heading  was  formerly 
"Norway,"  followed  by  Sweden  ;  but  we 
are  not  quite  satisfied,  as  the  compilers  of 
the  catalogue,  evidently  anxious  not  to  give 
way  too  much,  have  made  the  first  sub- 
heading Norway,  and  still  put  Sweden  as 
the  second  string.  We  ask  whether  the 
gentleman  who  rules  these  countries  is 
usually  referred  to  as  the  King  of  Sweden  or 
the  King  of  Norway,  and  we  leave  our 
readers  to  answer  the  question  for  them- 
selves. 

The  illustrations  are  a  great  improvement 
on  the  previous  edition,  though  a  few  faulty 
ones  must  creep  into  such  a  work,  notably 
two  eminent  gentlemen  whose  features  are 
depicted  on  the  modern  Salvador  stamps, 
and  who  are  illustrated  with  a  black  eye 
each. 

Our  remarks  as  to  the  copious  notes  in 
Part  I.  apply  equally  to  the  second  part, 
and  the  illustrations  of  watermarks,  and  the 


different  types  of  the  early  Austrian  Italy, 
the  perforations  of  Finland,  and  the  different 
types  of  Bosnia  are  not  only  most  useful,  but 
splendidly  executed. 

The  paper  used  for  this  edition  is  much 
thinner  than  formerly,  but  it  is  equally 
strong,  and,  to  our  mind,  it  shows  up  the 
printing  much  better,  at  the  same  time 
reducing  the  volume  to  a  handy  pocket  size. 

We  need  only  add  that  the  book  is  quite 
up  to  date,  and  includes  such  recent 
novelties  as  the  provisionals  for  Cuba,  Porto 
Rico,  and  other  Spanish  colonies. 


The   Universal   Standard    Catalogue    of 
the    Postage   Stamps  of  the    World, 
First  Edition,   7899,  Ipsivich,  Whit- 
field, King,  &>Co. 

The  enterprise,  of  our  Ipswich  friends  is 
well  known,  and  they  are  to  be  congratulated 
on  a  most  creditable  production,  which  will 
undoubtedly  be  much  appreciated  not  only 
by  the  rising  generation,  but  by  that  lar^'e 
class  of  average  general  collectors  who  do 
not  wish  to  be  bothered  with  details  of  water- 
marks and  perforations  beyond  the  absolutely 
distinct  varieties. 

The  catalogue  is  published  at  the  modest 
figure  of  is.  3d.,  and  there  is  a  superior 
edition — an  "  Edition  de  Luxe  "  the  publish- 
ers call  it — interleaved  with  plain  white  paper 
for  notes,  at  3s.  post  free. 

Of  course,  a  catalogue  of  this  nature  has 
its  disadvantages,  and  would  be  little,  if 
any,  use  to  those  who  wish  to  discover  the 
value  of  varieties.  With  a  few  notable 
exceptions,  no  varieties  of  watermark  are 
given,  except  where  the  colours  are  also 
different,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Ceylon, 
where  the  differences  between  "Star"  and 
"  Crown  C.C  "  are  noted.  This  colony  itself 
is  a  very  good  example  of  the  whole  work, 
and  is  sufficiently  interesting  to  criticise 
specially.  The  first  issue  is  given  as  "  1S57 
imperf.,  watermark  star."  Then  comes  the 
1S61  issue,  "  same  types,  watermark  star, 
perf.,"  but  it  will  be  noticed  that  no  particular 
perforation  is  mentioned,  the  varieties  14  and 
12^  of  the  iod.  not  being  noticed.  Then  we 
come  to  "  1862,  same  type,  no  watermark, 
perf.,"  and  afterwards  "  1S64,  same  types, 
watermark  Crown  C.C."  The  different  per- 
forations of  the  3d.  of  1S67  are  not  given,  and 
the  same  applies  to  the  various  perforations 
of  the  subsequent  issues,  both  unsurcharged 
and  surcharged.  In  the  "  Service  "  stamps 
the  2s.  imperforate  is  not  mentioned.     This 


Reviews 


117 


will  give  a  goad  idea  of  the  style  of  the  work, 
which  is  not  intended  for  the  specialist  or 
advanced  collector,  but  is  an  excellent  pro- 
duction for  the  beginner.  It  is  well  printed 
on  good  paper,  and  should  have  a  large  sale. 


The  Transvaal  Collectors'  Quarterly. 

"We  must  confess  that  we  had  no  great 
faith  in  the  success  of  a  magazine  devoted 
entirely  to  the  stamps  of  one  country,  even 
though  that  country  be  such  an  interesting 
one  as  the  Transvaal,  which  offers  such  a 
wide  and  interesting  field  for  research  ;  but 
the  first  number  of  Mr.  Nankivell's  new 
quarterly  publication  is  so  full  of  interest  that 
it  will  most  probably  be  read  by  many  who 
have  not  hitherto  specialized  in  Transvaals, 
and  achieve  what  we  believe  to  be  its  object, 
namely,  to  increase  the  number  of  specialists 
in  the  stamps  of  this  country.  Mr.  Nanki- 
vell's enterprise  is  to  be  commended, 
especially  as  it  is  hardly  likely  to  be  particu- 
larly remunerative. 


The  Adhesive  Postage  Stamps  of  Europe, 
by  W.  A.  S.  Westoby,  Part  X., 
London,  H.  Upcott  Gill,  price  1s. 

The  tenth  part  of  this  work  commences 
with  the  balance  of  Romagna,  and  ends 
in  the  middle  of  San  Marino,  a  system  which 
we  can  hardly  consider  satisfactory.  Surely 
each  part  could  be  arranged  to  commence  at 
the  beginning  of  a  country,  and  finish  at  the 
endof  one,  instead  of  leaving  off  in  the  middle 
of  a  sentence. 

After  this  grumble  we  can  find  nothing 
but  praise.  The  work  is  in  Mr.  Westoby's 
usual  thorough-going  style,  crammed  full  of 
detail,  showing  minute  research  into  the 
question  of  dates  of  issue,  and  the  illustra- 
tions, which  are  full  size,  are  excellent.  The 
Russian  locals  are  not  described,  but  the 
author  gives  us  three  pages  of  their  history, 
written  in  his  usual  lucid  style.  When  the 
whole  work  is  completed  it  should  be  a 
valuable  addition  to  a  philatelic  library,  as 
the  details  collected  by  Mr.  Westoby  are  of 
great  interest  to  the  advanced  collector  apart 
from  the  usefulness  of  the  work  to  a  novice 


The  Revue  Philateliqne  Francaise  has  just 
celebrated  its  tenth  birthday  with  a  jubilee 
number.  For  the  purpose  of  this  number 
the  editor  invited  readers  and  contributors 
in  all  parts  of  the  world  to  send  him  articles 
on  the  following  two  subjects  :— 

i.  What  is  to  be  done  to  keep  up  the 
continuance  of  collecting  at  its  present  rate  ? 

2.  In  your  philatelic  career  what  in- 
cident has  given  you  the  most  satisfaction, 
or  which  is  the  most  amusing  incident  that 
has  happened  to  you  ?  The  answers  received 
are  from  such  well-known  philatelists  as 
Messrs.  Leon  Brummer,  G.  B.  Duerst,  E.  B. 
Earee,  Dr.  Fraenkel,  Paul  Leitzow,  Pierre 
Mahe,'  Paul  Marconnet,  Arthur  Maury, 
E.  J.'  Nankivell,  V.  Ohrt,  A.  P.  Pearce, 
H.  A.  Slade,  and  Victor  Suppantschisch, 
and  they  afford  most  interesting  and  amusing 
reading. 

Plymouth    Philatelic    Society. 

On  Wednesday,  May  ioth,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Plymouth  Society,  a  most 
enjoyable  lecture  was  delivered  at  the 
Athenaeum  by  the  Rev.  E.  Bell,  m.a.  (of 
St.  Stephen's,  Saltash),  on  the  educational 
value  of  philately.  Premising  that  the 
hobby  was  a  scientific  pursuit,  the  lecturer 
dwelt  on  the  threefold  division  of  philatelic 
humanity  into  the  ignoramus,  the  tim- 
bromaniac,  and  the  philatelist  proper  or 
collector,  who  found  in  stamps  an  intelligent 
interest  and  a  valuable  training.  With  this 
introduction  the  political  histories  of  France 
and  Spain  and  the  unification  of  Italy  were 


WPM 


Wir-s^w. 


'jtjO?i^jnnp||n<|n|||n 


ably  traced  through  the  postal  issues  of  these 
countries,  lantern  and  screen  combining 
most  effectively  to  illustrate  the  points  of 
the  lecture.  From  Southern  Europe  Mr. 
Bell  passed  to  South  Africa,  and  reviewed 
the  vicissitudes  of  our  politics  in  the  Trans- 
vaal, shewing  how  marked  an  object  lesson 
was  to  be  found  in  the  issues  of  that  Republic. 
Equally  impressive  but  more  pleasing  was 
the  lesson  to  be  learned  from  the  stamps  of 
Fiji,  where  British  rule  had  kept,  and  not 
relinquished  its  hold.  The  diagrams  that 
followed  on  the  screen  were  now  of  more 
varied  type  and  illustrative  of  different  phases 
of  philatelic  interest,  aesthetic  bearing,  or 
educational  value.  Thus  on  one  striking 
group  the  heads  of  five  Sovereign  monarchs 
were  depicted,  four  of  whom  had  met  with 
the  bitterest  reverses  of  fortune  :  the  effigies 
of  our  own  Queen  in  varying  stages  of  her 
rule  were  also  presented;  and  colonial  enter- 
prise and  sentiment  fitly  illustrated  in  the 
symbolisms  of  New  South  Wales,  Cape 
Colony,  and  Canada.  Finally,  after  a  series 
of  plates  that  typified  the  debt  of  philately 
to  the  natural  world  in  its  designs  of  bird, 
animal,  reptile,  and  fish,  the  lecturer 
made  an  eloquent  appeal  on  behalf  of  the 
hobby  of  stamp  collecting  with  its  aesthetic 
and  educational  training  in  contrast  to  the 
destructive  and  wanton  enthusiasms  of  the 
ornithologist  and  entomologist. 

A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Bell  for 
his  lucid,  interesting  and  most  suggestive 
address  was  then  proposed  by  Mr.  R.  L. 
Stevens,  seconded  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Mayne, 
and  unanimously  accorded  by  all  present. 


Part  I.— British    Empire. 


British  Bechuanaland. — Mr.  Beeman 
has  sent  us  the  fourpenny  registration 
envelope  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  with 
the  surcharge,  BECHUANALAND  PRO- 
TECTORATE, in  two  lines,  in  black,  across 
the  stamp,  the  surcharge  being  in  block 
capitals. 

Registration  Envelope, 
■4(1.  blue  and  black  on  white,  size  F. 

Ceylon. — The  provisional  six  cents  has 
been  superseded  by  a  permanent  stamp  of 
that  value,  which  has  been  sent  us  by 
Messrs.  Whitfield,  King  &  Co.,  together 
with  other  new  values.  The  design  is  similar 
to  the  other  values  of  the  current  set,  but  the 
value  is  printed  in  black.  There  is  also  a  75 
cents,  grey,  the  value  being  on  a  red-brown 
tablet ;  and  the  die  of  the  old  2r.  50c.  has 
been  utilised  for  two  provisionals  by  printing 
in  different  colours,  and  surcharging  in 
black,  similar  to  the  old  ir.  12c.  pro- 
visional. 

Adhesives. 
1 6  cents,  rose  and  black. 
75  cents,  grey  and  red  brown. 

1  rupee  50  cents  in  black,  on  2r.  50c.  grey. 

2  rupee  25  cents  in  black,  on  2r.  50c.  yellow. 

Dhar  State. — We  have  received  the  i 
anna  of  the  new  type,  printed  in  purple. 

Adtiesive. 
1  anna,  purple. 


Great  Barrier  Island— Messrs.  Whit- 
field, King  &  Co.  have  sent  us  a  specimen  of 
the  second  issue  for  this  island.  The  design 
is  similar  to  the  first,  but  it  is  engraved  and 
printed  in  blue  green  on  a  greyish  tinted 
paper.  We  are  informed  that  only  1,800  of 
the  first  issue  were  printed. 
Adhesive. 
is,  blue  green  on  greyish. 

Labuan. — A  sheet  of  the  50  cents,  brown, 
has  been  found  without  the  surcharge 
LABUAN.  As  this  stamp  was  never  issued 
in  this  colour  for  Borneo,  it  should  be  a  very 
scarce  variety. 

Adlusive. 
50  cents,  brown,  without  surcharge. 

Negri  Sembilan. — There  is  evidently  a 
scarcity  of  the  4c.  value  here,  as  Messrs. 
Whitfield,  King  &  Co.  have  sent  us  no  less 
than  four  different  provisionals.  The  sur- 
charge in  each  case  is  FOUR  CENTS,  in 
one  line,  in  black  ;  and  on  the  ic.  and  5c.  of 
the  first  type,  and  the  8c.  (Tiger's  Head) 
there  is  a  line  obliterating  the  original  value, 
but  on  the  8c.  (Tiger's  Head)  there  is  no  line, 
the  surcharge  being  at  the  top. 
Provisional  Adhesives. 

4c.  in  black  on  ic.  green. 

4c.        „        ,,    5c.  blue. 

4c.        ,,        ,.    3c.  lilac  and  rose. 

4c.        ,,        „    Sc.    ,,      ,,    blue. 


Part     II.      Other     Countries. 


Argentine  Republic.  —  We  have  to 
thank  Mr.  L.  Bugnot  for  specimens  and 
information  of  several  new  issues  from  here. 
Firstly  there  is  a  new  postcard  of  6  centavos, 
with  stamp  similar  to  that  on  the  "  Memo- 
randum Posto  "  described  by  us  last  month, 
and  a  reply  card  6c.  by  6c.  There  are  also 
new  envelopes  of  5c.  and  12c,  with  similar 
stamps,  and  on  the  20th  of  May  there  were 
to  be  wrappers  of  J,  1,  2,  4c,  a  postcard  of 
4c. ,  and  a  4c.  letter  card,  about  which  we 
await  further  information. 

Postcards. 
6c.  blue  on  buff. 
6c.  by  6c.  blue  on  buff. 

Envelopes 
5c.  orange  on  buff. 
12c.  blue  on  buff. 


Cuba. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
send  us  the  10  cents  "  Special  Delivery  "  of 
the  United  States,  surcharged  in  three  lines 
in  red.  "  CUBA,  ioc,  de  PESO."  The 
surcharge  is  very  indistinct." 

Special  Delivery  Stamp. 
ioc.  de  peso,  red  on  blue. 

Japan. — Mr.  George  Braithwaite  has 
favoured  us  with  specimens  of  the  three 
lowest  values  of  the  new  set,  5  rin,  1  and  2 
sen.,  of  similar  design  to  the  other  values 
recently  chronicled  by  us. 

Adhesives 

5  rin  grey. 

1  sen  pale  brown. 

3  sen  purple. 


120 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Norway. — Mr.    H.    Dethloff  has   kindly- 
sent  us  specimens  of  the  new  2  ore.     The 
type  is  the  same  as  hitherto,  but  the  colour 
is  a  pale  brown,  on  very  white  paper. 
Adhesive. 
2  ore  pale  brown,  perf.  14 

Samoa. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
have    sent    us    another    new     provisional, 


similar   to   the  last,  but  this  time  the  sur- 
charge is  in  red  on  the  is.  value. 
Provisional  Adhesive. 
2jd.  in  red,  on  is.  rose  red. 

Uruguay. — A  new  issue  of  Envelopes, 
Postcards,  and  Letter  Cards  is  to  appear 
shortly. 


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The  Philatelic  Record 


AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


JUNE,    1899. 


Editorial   Notes. 


JUDGING  from  what  we  can  hear  on  all  sides,  the  forthcoming 
International  Philatelic  Exhibition  in  "  Cottonopolis  "  is  arousing  as 
much  interest  as  anything  of  the  kind  ever  held,  not  only  here,  but  on 
the  Continent,  and  in  America.  That  it  deserves  to  be  a  success,  there 
can  be  no  doubt,  the  energy  displayed  by  the  Committee,  and  the  many 
T.  months  of  their  time  which  they  have  devoted  to  the  preparations, 

„  .  ,  the  advertising  and  the  multiferous  duties  connected  with  such  an 
P  h'hV  undertaking  being  worthy  of  all  praise,  and  of  the  success  which 
'  we  feel  sure  they  will  achieve.  The  Exhibition  will  be  opened 
on  Thursday,  the  29th  June,  by  Mr.  H.  Henniker  Heaton,  M.P.,  the  gentle- 
man who  gave  us  "Imperial  Penny  Postage,"  and  we  expect  a  large  atten- 
dance at  the  opening  ceremony,  including  many  foreign  collectors  and  dealers, 
most  of  them  intending  to  stay  in  Manchester  until  the  close.  The  regulations 
will  be  found  in  another  column,  and  the  medals  number  no  less  than  160, 
gold,  silver,  and  bronze. 

Something  of  the  kind  has  been  badly  wanted  by  Philately  ever  since 
the  last  London  exhibition,  and  although  our  science  has  now  recovered  from 
the  depression  of  a  year  or  two  ago,  it  is  sure  to  benefit  by  this,  as  it  always 
does  from  such  displays.  Philatelic  Exhibitions  interest  the  non-philatelist 
as  well  as  the  enthusiast,  and  never  fail  to  bring,  at  least,  a  few  recruits  to  the 
stamp  collecting  ranks.  We  can  name  several  who  started  with  the  first 
London  exhibition,  and  we  hope  later  on  to  hear  of  many  who  started  with 
Manchester.  Even  the  small  exhibition  in  Birmingham  last  year  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  local  Press  to  the  fact  that  there  was  such  a  thing  as  a  Birming- 
ham Philatelic  Society.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  Exhibition  those  non- 
philatelists  who  did  know  of  its  existence  had  only  looked  upon  it  as  an 
association  of  harmless  cranks. 

We  will  not  say  that  such  is  the  case  in  Manchester,  but  the  fact  remains 
that  the  display  and  the  publicity  given  to  philately  must,  and,  in  such  cases, 
always  does,  have  a  beneficial  effect.  The  dealers  benefit  by  meeting  each. 
other  and  doing  business  together,  collectors  spend  money  to  complete 
or  improve  their  exhibits,  and  are  further  encouraged  to  further  efforts  if  they 
obtain  an  award  or  two,  and  the  meetings  with  one  another  renew  old 
acquaintances  or  make  new  ones,  with  that  cosmopolitan  good  fellowship 
which  has  always  been  characteristic  of  nearly  all  stamp  collectors  and  dealers. 


122  The  Philatelic  Record. 


We  write  this  notwithstanding  that  only  five  minutes  ago  a  well-known 
dealer  told  us  that  he  did  not  believe  in  exhibitions,  and  always  found  trade 
worse  after  one,  and  yet  we  want  to  see  more  of  them,  one  or  two  a  year  in 
some  town  or  another,  inaugurated  if  possible  by  the  local  societies.  As  we 
have  already  stated  in  these  columns,  the  Continent  is  ahead  of  us  in  con- 
gresses or  gatherings  and  in  the  number  of  exhibitions,  though  they  may 
not  be  as  interesting  and  important  as  the  last  London  one  was,  or  as  we 
expect  the  Manchester  one  will  be. 

The  discovery  of  another  of  the  one  penny  "  Post  Office  " 
"Post  Office,"  Mauritius  stamps  on  original  envelope,  which  has  come  into 
Mauritius,  the  possession  of  M.  Lemaire,  and  is  the  fourth  within  twelve 
months,  now  raises  the  number  known  to  twenty ;  twelve 
pennies  and  eight  twopennies.  Only  a  few  years  ago  the  red  one  was  con- 
sidered the  better  stamp  of  the  two,  but  the  "  finds  "  have  more  than  equalised 
matters,  and  yet  the  price  rises  !  This  is  the  part  we  cannot  understand.  It 
is  only  a  few  years  ago  that  a  2d.  blue  on  the  envelope  was  voted  dear  at 
^"200,  and  now  the  supposed  value  is  j£i, 000.  One  thing,  of  course,  is  in 
favour  of  the  price  being  maintained,  and  that  is  that  they  are  all  in  good 
hands,  and  probably  none  could  be  bought  at  anything  like  ^1,000,  if  at  all, 
except  perhaps  the  recent  discovery.  We  prophesy  that  another  2d.  blue 
will  be  discovered  shortly. 

Note. — Owing  to  a  difficulty  about  the  illustrations,  the  continuation  of 
Mr.  Forbes'  article  on  the  stamps  of  Persia  is  postponed  until  next  month. 


Editorial    Interviews.  123 


Editorial     Interviews. 


BY     THEODOR     BUHL. 


M.  THEOPH1LE  LEMAIRE. 

'HE  International  Philatelic  Exhibition  at  Manchester  being  held  this 
month,  we  thought  it  a  fitting  opportunity  to  commence  the  inter- 
national character  of  our  interviews  by  giving  our  readers  a  short 
history  of  the  career  and  business  of  one  of  the  largest  French  dealers, 
and  as  the  conversation  took  place  in  that  language,  we  shall  put  it 
more  in  the  form  of  a  history  than  "  questions  and  answers." 

We  have  known  M.  Lemaire  for  many  years,  and  as  he  is  now  only  34  years 
of  age  he  must  have  been  very  young  when  we  first  made  his  acquaintance. 
He  first  collected  stamps  at  school  when  nine  years  old,  and  kept  this  up  until 
he  was  sixteen,  from  which  time  he  owns  to  being  a  "  collector  and  dealer." 

"  Your  first  dealings  were  not  alone  ?  "  we  asked. 

"  No,"  said  M.  Lemaire.  I  first  went  into  partnership  with  M.  P. 
Fontete  until  he  left,  and  afterwards  I  was  for  some  time  with  M.  Charles 
Schaupmeier." 

"  And  when  did  you  commence  dealing  alone  ?  " 

"  In  1892,"  said  M.  Lemaire  ;  first  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Denis,  then  in 
Rue  de  Chateaudun  ;  until  recently  at  30,  Rue  de  Provence,  and  now  I  am 
here." 

This  "  here  "  consists  of  a  magnificent  suite  of  rooms  in  the  Avenue  de 
1'Opera,  one  of  the  best  parts  of  Paris,  and  is  a  great  improvement  on  M. 
Lemaire's  former  premises,  although  he  has  now  no  shop. 

"  And  what  is  the  principal  part  of  your  trade  ?  "  was  the  next  question, 
the  answer  to  which  was,  perhaps,  not  logical,  but  certainly  emphatic. 
"  Everything,"  said  our  subject,  and  it  was  about  correct. 

It  is  well  known  that  M.  Lemaire  purchased  the  celebrated  collection  of 
Dr.  Legrand,  for  which  he  paid  300,000  francs,  and  out  of  which  he  sold  the 
two  "  Post  Office"  Mauritius  for,  as  he  informed  us,  46,500  francs  (^"i,86o), 
but  besides  this  he  has  purchased  a  French  collection  for  40,000  francs,  the 
"  Marconnet  "  collection,  without  France  and  Colonies,  for  60,000  francs — 
and  a  collection  of  France  and  Colonies  only  of  M.  Renourd  for  25,000  francs, 
all  of  these  having  been  purchased  since  1896. 

"  Have  you  a  private  collection  of  your  own,  M.  Lemaire  ?  "  we  queried. 

"  Yes,  I  collect  unused  European  that  are  catalogued  up  to  10  francs 
each,  to  see  how  they  will  go  in  ten  years,"  was  the  reply,  and  we  think  the 
idea  a  very  good  one. 

"  You  do  a  large  business  in  depots,  making  up  sheets  and  packets  for 
shops  ;  if  it  is  not  a  secret,  how  many  of  these  depots  have  you  ?  " 

"  Eight  hundred,"  was  the  reply,  "and  all  in  France,  as  I  do  nothing  in 
that  way  abroad,  but  I  send  out  approval  selections  anywhere,  and  have  at 
present  about  800  of  these  all  over  the  world." 

"  You  employ  a  large  staff?  " 

"Yes,  I  have  21  clerks  and  5  workmen  always  employed." 

"  And  your  publications  ?  " 


124  The  Philatelic  Record. 

"  Consist  of  the  Philateliste  Fvancaise,  which  I  started  in  May,  1892,  my 
catalogue,  of  which  a  third  edition  will  shortly  appear,  and  my  albums,  which 
are  now  in  their  second  edition,  and  can  be  had  at  all  prices." 

"You  have  secured  a  few  medals  at  exhibitions  during  the  last  five 
years,"  we  said,  more  as  an  assertion  than  a  question,  and  M.  Lemaire 
pointed  to  a  sheet  of  his  note  paper,  which  shows  10  medals  gained  in  Paris, 
The  Hague,  Geneva,  and  Utrecht,  since  1894  ;  and  now  our  friend  is  coming 
to  Manchester,  where  he  is  exhibiting  some  fine  things.  A  bold  question  was 
our  next  one,  but  M.  Lemaire  answered  it  cheerfully  by  informing  us  that 
the  value  of  his  stock  was  from  800,000  to  a  million  francs  (^40,000),  and  that 
trade  is  very  good  in  the  ordinary  and  medium  stamps  up  to  £1,  but  slow  for 
rarities  ;  the  takings  for  the  first  three  months  of  this  year  exceeded  any 
previous  three  months  by  31,000  francs,  the  turnover  being  half  a  million 
francs  per  month,  and  in  1897  amounted  to  831,000  francs. 

We  have  been  worrying  our  friend  for  his  photograph  by  letter  and 
telegram,  and  personally,  but  it  has  not  come  to  hand  in  time  for  this  number. 
We  are,  however,  promised  it  in  time  for  next  month,  when  it  will  be  presented 
to  our  readers.  In  appearance  M.  Lemaire  is  a  typical  French  gentleman  ; 
he  is  always  smiling,  and  we  have  never  yet  seen  him  bad  tempered,  which  is 
a  good  deal  to  say  when  one  considers  his  responsibilities.  Since  the  above 
interview  we  have  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him  again,  in  Paris,  when  he 
showed  us,  among  other  fine  old  Mauritius,  another  recently  purchased  penny 
"  post  office  "  Mauritius,  on  the  original  envelope,  and  in  fine  condition.  We 
hope  to  renew  our  acquaintance  with  the  owner  and  the  stamp  in  Manchester. 


The    Stamps    of    Persia.  12; 


The     Stamps     of     Persia. 

BY 

C.  FORBES  (Librarian  and  Secretary,  Central  Philatelic  Club). 

( Contin  uedfrom  page  113). 

Note. — On  page  89,  the  note  with  reference  to  the  die  varieties  of  the  5 
krans  should  read : — The  5  krans  were  printed  from  dies  "  A  and  D  "  of  the 
8  shahi,  and  not  A,  B,  and  D.  The  dies  B  and  C  were  used  later  for 
printing  the  reprints  of  the  8  sh.  green. 

Sixth    Issue. 
June  1 88 1. 
Lithographed. 
Size  22J  by  26Jmms. 
Paper :  White  wove  (medium  thickness). 
Perforated  7. 
French  money. 
Values  :  5,  10,  and  25  centimes. 
Note. — As  the  dies  of  the  1879- 1880  issue  were  now  getting  somewhat 
worn,  it  was  decided  to  have  a  new  issue  of  stamps.     The  design  is  an  entire 
change  from  any  previous  issues,  and  in  the  writer's  opinion  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  that  has  ever  been  issued  by  any  country  up  to  the  present 
time. 

Design  :  A  shining  sun,  surrounded  at  the  top  and  sides  by  a  Gothic 
arch,  beautifully  decorated ;  underneath  a  scroll,  containing  the  words 
"  Persian  post  "  in  French  on  one  side,  and  Persian  on  the  other ;  and 
below  this  a  circle  on  a  coloured  ground,  containing  the  figures  of  value  in 
Roman  characters.  In  the  top  corners  are  circles  containing  Persian  characters, 
denoting  the  different  value  and  country  of  origin. 

Perf.  12. 
5  centimes  violet  or  purple. 
10         ,,         rose  or  pink. 
25         ,,         green. 
Perf.  12J. 
5  centimes  violet  or  purple. 
10         ,,         rose  or  pink. 

Perf.  12  by  13. 
5  centimes  violet  or  purple. 
10         ,,         rose  or  pink. 
25         ,,         green. 

Perf.  12^  by  13. 
5  centimes  violet  or  purple. 
10         ,,         rose  or  pink. 
Perf.    13. 
5  centimes  violet  or  purple. 
10         ,,         rose  or  pink. 
25         ,,         green. 
Colours  :  There  are  two  distinct  shades  of  the  5  and  10  centimes,  violet 
and  purple  for  the  5  centimes,  and  rose  and  pink  for  the  10  centimes  value; 
the  25  centimes  is  green,  but  in  all  the  three  values  the  border  surrounding 
the  stamps  is  always  in  a  much  darker  shade  than  the  rest  of  the  stamp. 

January    1882. 
Same  values  and  design,  but  engraved  from  copper  plates. 

Perforated. 


126  The    Philatelic    Record. 


The  engraved  series  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  lithographed  series,  as 
the  Roman  figures  of  value  are  printed  on  a  groundwork  of  horizontal  lines, 
whereas,  in  the  lithographs,  the  inside  of  the  circle  containing  these  same 
figures,  is  printed  on  a  solid  ground. 

Colours :  The  5  centimes  is  printed  on  purple,  with  the  border  in  pale  or 
lilac  blue. 

The  10  centimes  in  carmine,  with  a  scarlet  border,  and 
The  25  centimes  green,  with  dark  green  border. 

Perf.    12. 
5  centimes  purple. 
10  .,         carmine. 

25  ..         green. 

Perf.  12A. 
5  centimes  purple. 
10         ,,         carmine. 
25  „         green. 

Perf.    13. 
5  centimes  purple. 
10         ,,         carmine. 
25         .,         green. 
Perf.  12  by  13. 
5  centimes  purple. 
10         ,,        carmine. 
25         „         green. 
Perf.  12J  by  13  or  13  by  12J. 
10  centime6  carmine. 
25        ,,        green. 
The  above  series  of  stamps  were  designed  in  Paris,  and  printed  from 
copper  plate  dies  by  the  Austrian  Government    State    Printing    Works   in 
Vienna.  The  lithograph  series  was  merely  a  temporary  issue,  and  they  were  in 
use  only  a  few  months,    the  reason  being  that  the  Persian  officials    were 
very   anxious  for  the  new  series  of  stamps,  as  they  wrere  running  short  of 
these  particular  values,  and  as  the  copper  plates  were  not  yet  ready  for  use, 
a  lithographic  impression  was  hurriedly  made  and  printed  from.     Of  these 
stamps  10,000  of  each   of  the  5  and   10  centime  values  were   printed,  and 
about  5,000  of  the  25  centimes  green.      Now,  if  we  take  into  consideration 
the  small  number  printed  of  each  value,  we  cannot  but  come  to   the  con- 
clusion that  these  stamps  are  considerably  rarer  than  the  majority  of  col- 
lectors and  dealers  imagine  ;  as  after  eight  years  there  cannot  be  more  than 
half  that   number   in    existence,   and   we    think   that   the    catalogue    price, 
especially  for  the  5  and  10  centimes,  is  ridiculously  low. 

Note. — In  this  and  the  following  issues  the  French  standard  of  currency 
was  brought  into  use,  and  the  values  denoted  on  the  stamps  are  in  francs  and 
centimes.  This  drastic  change  was  brought  about  through  the  visits  of  the 
Shah  at  this  time  to  the  various  European  capitals,  the  idea  being  to 
bring  the  Persian  post  office  more  in  touch  with  the  European  postal  system. 
The  change,  however,  did  not  meet  with  the  approval  of  either  the  people  in 
general  or  the  Persian  postal  officials,  and  in  1885  the  post  office  again 
returned  to  the  Persian  currency  of  krans  and  shahi,  and  has  continued  to  do 
so  until  the  present  day. 


(To  be  continued.) 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition.  127 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition. 


MANCHESTER,    June    29th   to  July  6th,  1899. 

Held  in  the  City  Art  Gallery  : 

To  be  opened  by  H.  Henniker  Heaton,  esq.,  m.p 

PROSPECTUS. 

'EW  pursuits  have  undergone  greater  changes  or  seen  more  extensive 
developments  in  recent  times  than  that  of  Philately,  which  from 
being  almost  entirely  monopolised  thirty  or  forty  years  ago  by  school- 
boys, now  occupies  the  serious  attention  of  collectors  of  all  ages 
and  all  classes  in  every  part  of  the  civilised  world. 

This  was  amply  demonstrated  by  the  general  enthusiasm  aroused  by  the 
London  Exhibition  of  1897,  and  as  the  unparalleled  success  of  that  under- 
taking convinces  the  members  of  the  Manchester  Philatelic  Society  that  the 
time  is  fully  ripe  for  one  of  a  similar  nature  in  this  city,  they  have  decided, 
after  careful  consideration  of  ways  and  means,  to  hold  an  Exhibition  of  an 
International  character. 

It  will  consist  of  specimens  of  the  Postage  Stamps,  Envelopes,  Post  Cards, 
Wrappers,  &c,  of  the  whole  world,  Proofs,  Essays,  and  other  Objects  of 
Interest  connected  with  Philately  and  the  Postal  Service,  as  well  as  Albums, 
Books,  and  Philatelic  Appliances  of  every  description. 

It  will  be  opened  on  Thursday,  June  29th,  1899,  and  it  is  hoped  that 
the  numerous  promises  of  support  which  the  Committee  have  received  from 
many  eminent  collectors  at  home  and  abroad,  will  be  so  augmented  as  to 
make  the  Exhibition  thoroughly  representative  of  Philately  in  all  its  phases. 

The  Committee  have  obtained  the  use  of  the  Manchester  City  Art 
Gallery,  which  possesses  the  advantages  of  ample  space  and  good  light 
from  above,  without  the  risk  of  undue  exposure  to  the  rays  of  the  sun,  as  well 
as  a  commanding  position  in  a  leading  thoroughfare  in  the  centre  of  the  city, 
and  is  therefore  in  every  way  most  suitable  for  an  Exhibition  of  Stamps. 

All  the  stamps  will  be  shown  under  glass  in  locked  or  sealed  frames  and 
cases,  and  every  possible  precaution  will  be  taken  to  ensure  the  security  of  the 
Exhibits,  including  the  employment  of  day  and  night  watchmen,  but  no  per- 
sonal responsibility  will  be  undertaken  by  the  Committee. 

The  provisions  against  risk  by  fire  or  theft  are  specially  mentioned  in  the 
Rules  and  Regulations  which  follow,  and  to  these  the  attention  of  intending 
Exhibitors  is  particularly  drawn. 

Special  arrangements  will  be  made  for  the  passage  through  the  Customs 
of  Exhibits  from  foreign  countries  without  risk  of  damage. 

The  Exhibition  will  remain  open  to  the  public  for  one  week,  a  charge 
being  made  for  admission,  which  will  afford  a  better  opportunity  for  super- 
vision by  the  members  of  the  Committee  (two  of  whom  at  least  will  always 
be  in  attendance  during  the  time  that  the  Exhibition  is  so  open),  thus  secur- 
ing additional  safety. 

The  Exhibits  will  be  returned  to  their  owners  as  soon  as  possible  after 
the  close  of  the  Exhibition. 

To  facilitate  the  work  of  the  Committee,  and  to  assist  them  in  the 
preparation  of  the  Official  Catalogue,  Exhibitors  are  earnestly  requested  to 
send  full  particulars  of  their  Exhibits  as  early  as  possible  before  the  date 
stipulated  in  the  Regulations. 


128  The  Philatelic  Record, 


In  the  scheme  of  the  Exhibition,  which  will  be  found  below,  the  Com- 
mittee wish  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  whilst  every  provision  has  been 
made  to  secure  keen  competition  amongst  advanced  specialists,  the  interests 
of  general  collectors  have  been  carefully  protected.  It  is  with  the  first  object 
in  view  that  more  divisions  have  been  made  in  the  prospectus  than  was  the 
case  in  London,  and  for  the  latter  purpose  that  certain  favourite  and  most 
difficult  countries  have  been  introduced  twice,  in  the  first  instance  as  a  country 
complete,  which  the  advanced  specialists  can  exhibit,  and  secondly,  after 
omitting  the  earlier  and  usually  rarer  issues,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
specialise  in  these  countries,  but  are  not  strong  enough  in  such  issues  to  com- 
pete with  collectors  of  the  first  rank. 

The  Exhibition  will  be  subject  to  the  following  Rules  and  Regulations,  of 
which  all  Exhibitors  will  be  held  to  have  had  notice  : — 

RULES     AND     REGULATIONS, 
i. — Exhibits  in  Classes  I.,  II.,  and   III.  must  be  mounted  on  cards  or 
loose  pages.     Although  no  special  size  of  cards  or  other  material  is  obligatory, 
it  is  hoped  that  Exhibitors  who  mount  their  stamps  especially  for  the  Exhibi- 
tion will,  as  far  as  possible,  endeavour  to  assist  the  Committee  in  securing 
uniformity,  for  the  sake  of  economizing  the  space  at  their  disposal.       This 
object  will  be  attained  by  the  use  of  cards  of  the  following  sizes,   viz.,   io 
inches  by  g  inches,  or  gf  inches  by  u£  inches,  and,  if  desired,  cards  measuring 
9f  inches  by  n-^  inches,  can  be  supplied,  on  application  to  the  Secretary,  at 
a  trifling  cost.    The  sizes  in  centimetres  will  be  25^  by  ii\,  or  24^  by  28  i-5th.    The 
size  of  the  frames  willbe  40  inches  by  36  inches  (inside  measurement),  so  that  each  frame 
will  carry  16  sheets  10  inches  by  9  inches,  and  12  sheets  9f  inches  by  n-|  inches. 
2. — A  charge  for  space  will  be  made  on  the  following  scale  : — 
For  each  frame  or  part  of  frame  occupied  in  Classes  I.  and  II.     4/- 
For  each  Exhibit  in  Class  III.     ...  ...  ...  ...     5/- 

For  each  album  or  volume  shown  in  Classes   IV.,   V.,  VI., 

VIII.,  and  IX.  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...     5/- 

For  each  Exhibit  in  Class  X.         ...  ...  ...  5/- 

Class  XL— Charge  will  be  made  according  to  nature  and  size 

of  Exhibit,  minimum  charge...  ...  ...  ...     2/6 

Class  VII. — No  charge  will  be  made. 
Arrangements  have  been  made  by  the  Committee  for  insurance  against  loss 
by  fire  or  theft  of  Exhibits  while  in  the  custody  of  the  Committee,  either 
before  or  during  the  continuance  ot  the  Exhibition  and  after  the  close  of  the 
Exhibition,  until  despatched  for  return  to  the  owners.  *A.n  inclusive  charge 
of  2s.  6d.  will  be  made  for  each  ^100  insured.  Owners  of  Exhibits  desiring 
to  insure,  and  paying  the  prescribed  amount,  will  have  the  benefit  of  the 
policy  effected  by  the  Committee  to  the  extent  of  the  value  at  which  such 
Exhibits  are  accepted  for  insurance,  but  no  personal  liability  is  in  any  event 
incurred  by  the  Committee  in  regard  to  loss. 

The  charge  for  space  and  insurance  (if  any)  will  be  payable  by  the 
Exhibitor  on  sending  in  his  Exhibit. 

All  Exhibits  will  be  returned  free  of  charge  to  their  owners,  by  post  or 
otherwise,  but  transmission  will  in  all  cases  be  at  the  sole  risk  of  the  owner, 
insurance  in  course  of  transit  (if  any)  being  paid  by  him. 

5. — The  right  of  refusing  any  Exhibit  without  assigning  any  reason  for 
such  refusal,  is  reserved  by  the  Committee,  as  also  the  right  of  showing  such 
part  of  any  Exhibit  as  the  Committee  may  decide,  in  case  of  there  being 
insufficient  space  available  for  showing  the  whole. 

6. — All  Exhibits  entered  for  competition  must  be  bona-fide  the  property 
of  the  Exhibitor.  Joint  collections  must  be  shown  in  the  joint  names  or  firm 
name,  as  the  case  may  be,  but  no  combination  made  solely  for  the  purposes  of 
the  Exhibition  can  be  admitted  for  competition. 


International  Philatelic   Exhibition, 


-. — Albums  and  volumes  of  stamps  "will  be  exhibited  open  at  the  most 

interesting  pages,  to  be  varied  from  time  to  time  during  the  Exhibition  by  a 

member  of  the  Committee.     Xo   albums   will   be   allowed  to  be  inspected 

excepted  by  the  fudges    without  the  written  permission  of  the  owner  and  at 

his  risk,  and  then  only  in  the  presence  of  a  member  of  the  Committee. 

5. — Xo  price  or  other  notification  that  it  is  tor  sale  may  be  fixed  to  any 
Exhibit.     Xo  Exhibit  can  be  removed  before  the  close  of  the  Exhibition. 

9. — The  Judges  will  be  appointed  by  the  Executive  Committee,  and 
their  decision  "will  in  ail  cases  be  final.  They  will  be  seven  in  number,  of 
whom  it  is  proposed  that  three  at  least  shall  be  chosen  from  representative-^ 
of  ttreiern  ttunrries. 

10. — Xo  Exhibits  by  any  of  the  Judges  can  be;  entered  for  competition. 

11. — The  following  scheme  of  competiti :_:  has  been  adopted  by  the  Com- 
mittee; but  ail  Exhibits  which  the  owners  may  desire  to  enter  as  "  Xot  for 
Competition"  will  be  so  marked  Li  the  several  classes  in  which  they  may 
be  shown.  In  making  their  at  ads  the  Judges  will  be  requested  ti  take- into  special 
{deration,  wtonl    the    a  ..     and  completeness  of  the  Exhibit,  but  also  the  neatness 

accuracy  of  arrangement,  method  of  mounting  and  condition  oj  the  sped  sns  sub- 
mitted, and  the  Ph'latelic  knowledge  displa  the  Exhibitc  . 

Class  I. 
Will  ;  :r_sist  :f  Special  Collections  of  Postal  Adhesive  Stamps  of  Great  Britain. 
L  it  ision   1. — Postal  Adhesi  ve  Stamps  of  Great  Britain,  unused  only. 

2. —         ..  .,  ..  ,,        (Single  Specimen  Collections). 

3. —         ..  ..  ..  ,.  ..        used  only. 

Awards  in  this  cAss. — Division  i. — One  Gcid.  1  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 

..         2. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
3. — One  Siiver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  II. 
For   Special   Collections   of  Postal  Adhesive   Stamps  of    any   one   of    the 
•    Countries  or  combinations  of  Countries  named  below  : — 
Division  i.     A. — British  Empire,  including  Protectorates,  etc. 
British  Guiana  New  South  Wales. 

C-tshmere   and    Native    States    of         Xew  Zealand. 

India  (any  two).  Queensland. 

Cryion.  South  Australia. 

Mauritius.  Victoria. 

Awards. — One  Gold  and  2  Silver  Medals. 

B. 

Canada.  Straits  Settlements  and  Dependencies. 

Cape  of  Good  Hone.  SouthAustralianDepartmentalStamps. 

-  s  i  iia.  Tasmania. 

Natal.  Trinidad. 

Newfoundland.  Western  Australia. 

New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia, 
British  Columbia  and  Van- 
couver. 

Awards. — One  Gold,  2  Siiver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 

C. 
Barbados.  S.  \  incent. 

Fiji  Islands.  Turks  Islands. 

Heligoland.  Ceylon,  from  1863. 

Labuan.  New  South  Wales,  from  1S60. 

Nevis.  :  toria,  from  1S62. 

St.  Lucia.  Western  Australia,  from  1861. 

Awards. — Two  Silver  and  1  Bronze  MedaL 


130 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


D. 


Bahamas. 

British   Bechuanaland    and    Pro- 
tectorate. 
,,      Honduras. 
Cyprus. 
Grenada. 
Griqualand. 
St.  Helena. 

Awards 


British  Central  Africa. 
n      East  „ 

,,      South         „ 
Oil  Rivers  and  Niger  Coast, 
British  Guiana,  from  1863. 
Mauritius,  from  1863. 


-  any  two. 


One  Silver  and  2  Bronze  Medals. 
E. 


Any  two  of  the  following- 


Antigua. 
Bermuda. 
Cook  Islands. 
Dominica. 
Falkland  Islands. 
Gambia. 
Gibraltar. 
Gold  Coast. 
Hong  Kong. 


St.  Christopher. 
Seychelles. 
Sierra  Leone. 
Tobago. 


Awards. - 


Austria,      Austrian 

Hungary. 
France  and  Monaco. 
Greece. 
Roumania  with  Moldo-Wallachia 


Ionian  Islands 
Jamaica. 
Lagos. 

Leeward  Islands. 
Malta. 
Madagascar. 
Montserrat. 
North  Borneo. 
Prince  Edward  Island. 
—One  Silver  and  2  Bronze  Medals. 
Division  2. — Europe. 
A. 

Russia,     Finland,    Russian     Levant, 
Livonia,  Wenden  and  Poland. 


Virgin  Islands. 
Uganda. 
Zanzibar. 
Zululand. 


Italy,     and 


Spain. 
Switzerland. 
Turkey. 
Awards. — One  Gold,  2  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
B. 
Germany  (any  two  of  the  following) : — 

Baden,  Bavaria,  Bergedorf,  Bremen,  Brunswick,  German  Con- 
federation and  Empire  (including  Alsace  and  Lorraine),  Ham- 
burg, Hanover,  Liibeck,  Mecklenburg-Schwerin  and  Strelitz, 
Oldenburg,  Prussia,  Saxony,  Schleswig-Holstein,  Thurn  and 
Taxis,  Wurtemburg. 
Italy  (any  two  of  the  following)  : — 

Italy,  Modena,  Naples,   Papal  States,  Parma,  Romagna,  Sardinia, 
Sicily,  Tuscany. 

Awards. — One  Gold,  1  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
C. 
Bulgaria,  Southern  Bulgaria  and  Eastern  Roumelia,   Servia,  Montenegro, 
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  (any  three). 
Roumania. 
Russian  Locals. 

Switzerland  (including  Federals,   but  excluding  the  Cantonals,  Orts-Post 
and  Poste  Locale). 

Germany  (any  three  of  the  following) : — 

Baden,  Brunswick,   German  Confederation   and  Empire,  Alsace  and 
Lorraine,  Hanover,  Liibeck,  Mecklenburg-Schwerin  and  Strelitz, 
Prussia,  Thurn,  and  Taxis. 
Italy  (any  three  of  the  following)  : — 

Italy,   Papal   States,  Parma,  Romagna,  Sardinia,  San  Marino,  Sicily, 
Eritrea. 

Awards — Two  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition.  131 

D. 

Belgium.  Norway. 

Denmark  and  Iceland.  Portugal. 

Holland.  Sweden. 

Luxemburg. 

Awards. — Two  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
Division  3. — A. 
Asia  and  Africa. 
Afghanistan.  Portuguese  Indies. 

Japan.  Transvaal. 

Philippine  Islands. 

Awards. — One  Gold  and  1  Silver  Medal. 
Azores  and  Madeira.  Persia. 

Egypt  and  Suez  Canal.  Shanghai  and  China  (no  locals). 

New  Republic. 

Awards. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
C. 
Any   four  French   Colonies   or  Orange  Free  State  or  Swazieland. 

Possessions.  Any  four    Portuguese   Colonies   or 

Possessions. 
Any  four  of  the  following  : — 

Congo,  Liberia,  Dutch  Indies,  Sarawak,  Siam,  Corea,  Formosa,  German 
Colonies. 

Awards. — Two  Bronze  Medals. 

Division  4. — A. 
America. 
Brazil.  Hawaii. 

Buenos  Ayres.  Mexico  (including  locals). 

Bolivia.  Peru  and  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Co. 

Colombian    Republic  San  Domingo, 

(including  various  States). 

Awards. — One  Gold,  2  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
B. 
Confederate  States  of  America  United  States  of  America 

(including  Postmaster  stamps).  (including  Postmaster  stamps). 

United  States  Locals. 
Awards. — One  Gold  and  1  Silver  Medal. 
C. 
Argentine  Confederation  and  Republic.  Uruguay. 
Chili.  Venezuela  and  La  Guaira. 

Cuba,  Porto  Rico  and  Fernando  Poo.     Hawaii,  from  1864,  and  Tonga. 
Any  two  of  the  following  : — 

Corrientes  and   Cordova,   Costa  Rica,  Curacao  and   Surinam,   Danish 
West   Indies,    Ecuador,    Hayti,    Honduras,    Nicaragua,    Salvador, 
Guatemala,  Paraguay,  Samoa. 

Awards. — One  Silver  and  2  Bronze  Medals. 

Division  5. — A. 

Any  three  countries  in  Europe. 

B. 

Any  three  countries  in  Asia  or  Africa. 

C. 

Any   three   British    Colonies  or   Possessions   in  Australia,  North  America, 

or  Asia. 

D. 

Any  three  British  Colonies,  Protectorates,  or  Possessions  in  Europe,  Africa 

or  West  Indies. 


132  The  Philatelic  Record. 

E. 

Any  three  countries  in  America    or  elsewhere,  and  not  coming  within  the 

definition  of  sub-divisions. 

A.B.C.D. 

Awards. — One  Bronze  Medal  in  each  sub-division. 

N.B. — Division  5  is  not  intended  for  the  advanced  Specialist,  and  no  one  who 

has  gained  a  medal  at  the  Exhibition  in  London  in   1897  is  eligible  to 

compete. 

Class  III. 
For  Collections  of  Rare  Stamps. 

Division  i. — Each  Exhibit  to  consist  of  not  less  than  75  nor  more  than  100. 
,,         2. —     ,,  ;,  ,,      not  more  than  50  stamps,  and  each 

stamp  in  Division  2  not  to  exceed  catalogue  (Stanley  Gibbons)  value  of  £1  each. 
Awards. — Division  1. — One  Gold  and  1  Silver  Medal. 
,,  ,,         2. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 

N.B. — In  Division  1  pairs  or  blocks  of  the  same  stamp  will  be  counted  as 
one  ;  where  blocks  or  pairs  are  shown,  however,  the  total  Exhibit  must  not 
contain  more  than  200  stamps)  each  stamp  in  the  block  for  this  purpose 
being  counted  separately). 

Class  IV. 

Will  consist  of  entire  General  Collections  of  Postal  Adhesives  with  or  without 
Envelopes,   Postcards,  &c,    in  albums   or    volumes,    not   less  than    10 
countries  to  be  shown  in  any  Exhibit  in  Divisions  1,  2,  and  3. 
Division  i. — Without  limit  as  to  number. 

Awards. — One  Gold  and  1  Silver  Medal. 
,,         2. — Total  number  not  to  exceed  10,000. 

Awards. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
,,         3. — Total  number  not  to  exceed  5,000 

Awards. — Two  Bronze  Medals. 
,,         4. — Collections  of  British  Railway  Stamps. 

Award. — One  Bronze  Medal. 
,,         5. — Special  Collections  of  a  single  Country. 

Awards. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 
,,         6. — Special  Collections  of  any  three  of  the  British  Colonies,  all 
of  whose  stamps  are  obsolete  at  the  date  of  this  prospectus. 
Award. — One  Silver  Medal. 
,.         7. — Special  Group  Collections. 
N.B. — In  the  grouping  of  Collections  in  Division   7   regard  must  be  paid  to 
considerations  of  either  a  Geographical,  Historical  or  Political  character. 
Award. — One  Silver  Medal. 

Class  V. 

Division  i. — For  Collections  of  entire  Envelopes  and  Wrappers,  one  or  more 

of  the  Countries  or  combination  of  Countries  enumerated  below  : — 
Austria,  Hungary,  and  Lombardy.       Mauritius. 
Great  Britain.  Russia,  Finland  and  Poland. 

Germany  and  all  States.  United  States  of  America. 

Division  2. — Not  less  than  three  of  an yjCountries  not  enumerated  in  Division  1. 
Awards. — Division  1. — One  Gold  and  1  Silver  Medal. 
,,         2. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  VI. 
Will  consist  of  Collections  of  entire  Post  Cards  and  Letter  Cards. 


International  Philatelic  Exhibition.  133 

Division  i. — One  or  more  of  the  Countries,   or  Combinations  of  Countries 

enumerated  below  : — 
Russia  and  Finland.  Belgium. 

Germany  and  all  States.  Mexico. 

Jamaica.  Roumania. 

Japan.  Spain  and  Colonies. 

Luxemburg. 

Division  2. — Not  less  than  three  of  any  Countries  not  enumerated  in  Division  1. 

Awards. — Division  i. — One  Silver  and  1  Bronze  Medal. 

,,         2. — One  Bronze  Medal. 

Class  VII. 

For  Exhibits  by  Stamp  Engravers  and  Manufacturers  of  Postage  Stamps 

and  Telegraph  Stamps. 
N.B. — Stamps  shown  by  any  person,  firm,  or  company  in  this  Class 
must  be  limited  to  specimens  of  their  own  work,  and  may  comprise  Stamps  as 
issued,  Proofs,  or  Essays,  or  all  three. 

Awards. — Two  Silver  Medals  with  Diplomas. 
Class  VHP 
For  Philatelic  Literature  and  Works. 
Division  i. — Current  Philatelic  Journals  Exhibited  by  the  Publishers. 

,,        2. — Philatelic  Works  published  since  31st  October,  1890,  and  shown 
by  the  Publishers. 
N.B. — In  the  case  of  serial  publications  in  Division  1,  the  last  volume 
published  only  to  be  shown. 

Awards. — Division  i. — Two  Bronze  Medals  with  Diplomas. 

,,        2.— Two        ,,  ,,  ,, 

Class  IX. 

For  Albums,  &c. 

Division  i. — The  most  suitable  Album  or  Book  for  a  special  collection. 

,,        2. —         ,,  ,,  ,,  ,,      ^  general         ,, 

Awards. — Division  i. — Two  Bronze  Medals  with  Diplomas. 

Class  X. 

For  Philatelic  Accessories  and  Appliances  for  use  by  Collectors. 

Awards. — Two  Diplomas. 

Class  XL 

Special    arrangements    of    Stamps,    Stamps    on    Original  Letter  Sheets  or 

Envelopes,    Proofs,    Essays,    Curiosities,   and   Objects  of  Interest  in 

connection  with  Philately  and  the  Postal  Service  (including  engravings). 

Awards. — Two  Bronze  Medals. 
A  Special  Gold  Medal,  being  the  Grand  Prize  of  the  Exhibition,  will 
be  given  for  the  most  meritorious  Exhibit  of  Adhesive  Postage  Stamps  shown 
in  the  Exhibition. 

No  exhibitor  can  take  more  than  one  prize  in  each  Class  (exclusive  of 
Special  Prizes)  except  in  Class  II.,  in  which  Class  not  more  than  two  prizes 
may  be  taken  by  one  Exhibitor. 

The  Judges  shall  be  at  liberty  to  withold  any  prize  if  from  insufficiency 
of  competition,  or  for  any  other  reason,  they  shall  think  that  it  should  not  be 
awarded. 

The  following  Special  Prizes  will  also  be  Awarded  : — 
Manchester  Philatelic  Society. — One  gold  and  one  silver  medal  for  the 
two  best  exhibits  in  Class  II.   shown   by  a  Philatelist  resident  out  of  the 
British  Isles.     One  silver  medal  to  the  Society  whose  members  figure  most 
numerously  in  the  list  of  exhibitors. 

The  Philatelic  Society,  London. — One  gold  medal  for  the  finest  special 
collection  of  any  one  country,  having  regard  to  the  difficulty  in  forming  it, 
apart  from  the  monetary  value.  One  silver  medal  for  the  best  special  or 
general  collection  shown  by  a  lady. 


134  The   Philatelic  Record. 

Herts  Philatelic  Society. — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  Exhibit  by  a 
member  of  the  Herts  Philatelic  Society  in  Class  II. 

Leeds  Philatelic  Society. — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  shown 
by  a  member  of  the  Leeds  Philatelic  Society. 

Mr.  H.  A.  Stamford  (President  of  the  Sheffield  Philatelic  Society). — One 
silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  shown  by  a  member  of  the  Sheffield  Philatelic 
Society. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Wilson  (President  of  the  Birmingham  Philatelic  Society). — One 
silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the  two  best  exhibits  shown  by  a  member  of 
the  Birmingham  Philatelic  Society. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Abbott. — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  from  Scotland. 
One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  from  Ireland. 

Mr.  W.  Dorington  Beckton  (President  of  the  Manchester  Philatelic 
Society). — One  gold  medal  for  the  most  meritorious  exhibit  amongst  those 
which  have  gained  a  silver  medal  in  the  open  competition  in  Class  II.  One 
silver  medal  for  the  most  meritorious  exhibit  amongst  those  who  have  gained 
a  bronze  medal  in  the  open  competition  in  Class  II. 

Mr.  William  Brown. — One  silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the  two  best 
collections  of  stamps  issued  since  1890,  and  shown  in  Class  IV.,  Division  3. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Heginbottom,  b.a. — One  gold  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of 
West  Indies.  One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  in  Class  IV.,  shown  by 
an  exhibitor  under  21. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Peckitt. — One  gold  and  one  silver  medal  for  the  two  most 
meritorious  exhibits,  regard  being  paid  primarily  to  the  question  of  condition, 
in  Class  III.  One  gold  and  one  silver  medal  for  the  two  most  meritorious 
exhibits  in  Class  I. 

Mr.  Ernest  Petri. — One  silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the  two  best 
exhibits  shown  by  a  lady  resident  within  a  radius  of  15  miles  from  the  Man- 
chester Royal  Exchange. 

Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd. — One  gold  and  one  silver  medal  for  the  two 
best  collections  of  Australian  Stamps.  One  silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the 
two  best  collections  shown  by  a  youth  under  21  in  Class  IV.,  in  an  album  of 
English  manufacture. 

Mr.  Vernon  Roberts. — One  gold  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  shown  in  Class 
II.,  Division  I.  One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  St.  Lucia.  One  silver 
medal  for  the  best  exhibit  from  Wales. 

Mr.  George  H.  Calif. — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  Sydney 
Views. 

Mr.  Adolf  Rosenberg.— One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  shown  by  a 
German  resident  in  Germany. 

Mr.  Thomas  Beckton. — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  by  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Manchester  Philatelic  Society  failing  to  obtain  a  medal  in  the  open 
competition.     One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  in  Class  II.,  Division  5. 

Mr.  Arthur  H.  Harrison  — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  collection  of  either 
Sweden,  Norway,  or  Denmark,  and  Iceland,  shown  in  Class  II.,  Division  2  D., 
by  an  exhibitor  resident  in  any  of  these  countries. 

Mr.  G.  Fred  H.  Gibson. — One  silver  medal  for  the  best  exhibit  in  Classes 
I.  or  II.,  shown  by  a  member  of  a  Provincial  Philatelic  Society  (Manchester 
excluded). 

Mr.  D.  Ostara. — One  silver  medal  for  the  most  meritorious  exhibit  of 
adhesives  on  entire  shown  in  Class  IV. 

Mr.  G.  B.  Duerst. — One  silver  and  one  bronze  medal  for  the  two  best 
exhibits  shown  by  an  exhibitor  resident  within  a  radius  of  20  miles  of  the 
Manchester  Royal  Exchange,  and  not  a  member  of  the  Manchester  Philatelic 
Society.  

Two  silver  and  two  bronze  medals  will  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
judges,  to  award  all  or  any  as  they  think  fit  to  exhibitors  whose  exhibits  display 
the  most  philatelic  knowledge,  regard  being  had  to  individual  research. 


Fiscal  Notes.  135 


Fiscal  Notes. 

Contributed  by  A.  PRESTON  PEARCE. 

Of  late  I  have  had  several  occasions  to  refer,  elsewhere,  to  the  private 
proprietary  stamps  now  being  issued  by  Uncle  Sam  in  his  endeavour  to 
obtain  the  wherwithal  for  playing  the  most  expensive  of  all  games. 

I  have  found  that  several  inexperienced  collectors  of  fiscals  are  not  at 
all  clear  as  to  the  actual  status  of  these  labels,  which  certainly  occupy  a 
most  extraordinary  position,  and,  if  so  desired  by  two  or  three  readers,  I 
shall  be  pleased  to  give  such  particulars  as  may  serve  to  elucidate  the  matter. 


The  humble  seeker  after  the  despised  fiscal  has  hitherto  quietly  pursued 
his  inoffensive  way,  untroubled  by  many  of  the  dangers  that  beset  the 
path  of  his  more  favoured  brother,  but  with  increasing  popularity  comes 
increasing  care,  and,  as  our  section  of  the  hobby  comes  into  greater 
prominence,  we  shall  have  to  face  the  fact  that  pitfalls  designed  to  entrap  the 
unwary  will  as  certainly  be  prepared  for  us  as  for  other  riders. 

A  sign  of  the  times  has  been  noticed  by  Mr.  Walter  Morley,  who 
desires  me  to  warn  collectors  against  the  wily  device  of  an  individual  who  is 
manufacturing  tete-beche  pairs  of  such  British  stamps  as  first  issue  Customs, 
Chancery  Fee  Fund,  &c.  These  stamps  have  a  black  separating  line,  and 
advantage  is  taken  of  this  fact  to  obtain  a  cloak  for  the  concealment  of  a 
skilful  join. 

The  S.S.S.S.  had  not  a  very  successful  career,  but  another  alliterative 
association  with  a  strong  Fraud  Fighting  Fund,  to  which  every  Secretary  of 
a  Society  and  Club  should  be  invited  to  belong  and  to  contribute  an  annual 
shilling  on  behalf  of  each  member,  might  effect  a  wondrous  reformation  if  it 
carried  on  a  vigorous  campaign. 

■f  *  * 

The  announcement  has  been  made  that  Canada  has  emitted  a  new  series 
of  Weights  and  Measures,  but  according  to  advices  received  from  Mr.  H.  G. 
La  Mothe  this  is  not  quite  correct.  Up  to  the  time  of  writing,  only  the 
50  cents  has  appeared  in  its  new  and  more  ornate  form,  but  a  supply  of 
20  cents  and  of  70  cents  (this  latter  a  new  denomination)  has  been  ordered, 
and  may  be  expected  to  come  into  employment  ere  long.  There  are  still  large 
stocks  in  hand  of  some  of  the  values,  so  a  complete  set  in  the  new  type  will 
not  adorn  our  albums  for  a  long  time  to  come. 

In  the  extremely  handsome  design  prepared  by  the  American  Bank 
Note  Co.,  for  the  Supreme  Court  (reproduced  in  Feb.  Stamps)  only  the 
10  cents  value  has  appeared,  and  no  other  is  likely  to  be  seen  for  some  months. 

The  same  valued  correspondent  informs  me  that  fresh  supplies  of  the 
25  cents  and  50  cents  Gas  Inspection  have  been  ordered,  and,  although  he 
does  not  say  so,  I  presume  that  these  also  will  appear  in  a  new  dress. 


136  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  engraver  to  the  lively  Republic  of  Hayti  appears  to  have  been 
paying  attention  to  the  surprisingly  pacific  study  of  arboriculture,  for,  accord- 
ing to  La  Revue  Phil.  Francs,  the  2  cents  Quittances  and  the  70  cents  Timbre 
have  been  seen  with  an  alteration  in  the  outline  of  the  palm  tree;  a  reduction 
in  the  size  of  the  figures  of  value  is  also  noticeable. 


The  disturbance  caused  by  our  American  cousins  in  the  status  quo  ante 
existing  in  some  of  the  Spanish  Colonies  has  been  abundantly  manifested  in 
the  New  Issues  columns  ever  since  the  beginning  of  the  end.  As  regards  the 
revenue  stamps  of  those  places,  the  authorities  have  lamentably  failed  to 
produce  that  prolific  supply  of  provisionals  so  anxiously  desired  by  a  small 
but  earnest  group  of  philatelists. 

How  different  things  would  have  been  had  we  only  been  a  little  more 
obtrusive.  But  doubtless  the  day  will  come  when  needy  governments  will  vie 
with  one  another  in  the  production  of  monthly  series  of  artistic  Bill  Stamps, 
taxing  the  skill  of  Messrs.  Waterlow  &  Sons  in  the  reproduction  of  the 
masterpieces  of  Wiertz,  or  of  Jan  Van  Beers. 

I  am  very  desirous  of  obtaining  the  names  and  addresses  of  all  who 
are  interested  in  the  collection  of  fiscals ;  there  are  a  good  many  of  us,  but 
widely  scattered,  and  with  but  few  rallying  points. 


All  communications  in  respect  of  this  page  should  be  addressed  to  98,  Alexandra 
Road,  Mutley,  Plymouth,  and  correspondents  are  requested  to  make  a  note  of  the 
change  that  has  been  occasioned  by  the  renumbering  of  the  streets  in  this  suburb. 


Catalogues    and    Prices, 


137 


Catalogues     and     Prices, 


(From  the  Philatelic  Journal  of  India). 


S  we  have  occupied  ourselves  considerably  of  late  in  the  study  of  the 
stamps  of  those  Indian  Native  States  which  use  Indian  stamps  sur- 
charged, it  has  occurred  to  us  that  it  might  be  useful  to  examine  some 
of  the  catalogues  recently  issued  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  whether 
any  one  of  them  has  adopted  any  visible  method  in  its  pricing.  The 
catalogues  which  we  have  selected  are  Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons',  Whitfield 
King's,  and  Bright's.      Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons'  prices  as  corrected  in  the 
Monthly  Journal 'are  given. 


We  began  by  looking  up  those  of  the  early  issues  of  those  States  which 
are  rarest ;  for,  of  course,  recent  issues,  no  matter  how  limited,  are  on  a 
different  footing;.     This  was  the  result : — 


Date  of 

issue. 

N  umbers 
printed. 

S.  G.  &  Co. 

W.  K.  &  Co. 

Bright. 

1884 

Do. 

1885 

1884 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

240 
240 

45° 
480 
480 
480 
4S0 

Nabha,  8  as.   1st  issue 

1  rupee 
red  surcharge  ... 
Patiala,  8  as.  1st  issue 

1  rupee 
Jhind,    8  as. 

1  rupee 

2   10     0 
1   10     0 

0  15     0 

1  10     0 
0  17     6 

2  10    0 
2  10    0 

1    10     O 
1     5    0 

0  12    6 

1  5     0 

0  17    6    ; 

1  10    0 

1  10    0    1 

O   15     0 

0  17     6 
090 

1  5     0 

0  15     0 

1  5     0 
1     5    0 

Not  much  help  here.  In  fact,  the  whole  performance  reminds  one  of  a 
sort  of  Chinese  puzzle.  Let  us  try  again,  and  take  this  time  the  three 
highest  value  stamps,  all  issued  about  the  same  time,  all  obsolete,  and  all  to 
remain  so. 


1 3« 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Date 
of  issue. 

Numbers 
Printed. 

S.  G.  &  Co. 

W.  K.&Co. 

B 

right. 

July  1897 

288 

/hind,  Rs.  2 

I     5 

O 

100 

0 

4     0 

Do. 

192 

.,    3 

I    15 

O 

I    10     0 

0 

6     0 

Do. 

192 

..    5 

3     O 

O 

2    IO     O 

0 

10     0 

Jan.  1897 

576 

Nabha,    ,,    2 

0  10 

O 

0    12      6 

0 

4     6 

Do. 

576 

.,    3 

0  12 

6 

0  II     0 

0 

6     9 

Do. 

576 

..    5 

0  16 

6 

I     7     6 

0 

10    0 

Nov.  1895 

450 

Paliala,  ,,2 

200 

Nov.  1895 

400 

Patiala.  Rs.  3 

300 

Do 

300 

..    5 

400 

Dec.  1895 

I       672 

and 

Chamba,  ,,2 

1     0 

0 

0  17     6 

0 

3     9 

Oct.  1896 

) 

Do. 

672 

..    3 

1   10 

0 

1     5     0 

0 

5     6 

Do. 

672 

.,    5 

2      O 

0 

1   15     0 

0 

9     6 

May  1896 

2,496 

Gwalior,  ,,2 

O    12 

6 

0  10    0 

0 

4     0 

Do. 

2»396 

..   3 

O    l6 

0 

0  15    0 

0 

6     0 

Do. 

1,240 

..    5 

I     IO 

0 

1     5     0 

0 

y     6 

This  table  shows  us  only  that  Messrs.  Whitfield  King  are  desirous  of 
underselling  Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons,  and  Messrs.  Bright  did  not  know  that 
these  stamps  were  obsolete.  But  the  ratio  of  the  price  of  one  stamp  to 
another  remains  a  mystery.  Now  let  us  take  the  grey  rupee  stamp  sur- 
charged for  ordinary  and  for  service  use,  taking  in  all  cases  the  commonest 
variety  of  surcharge.  We  shall  also  note  this  time  the  date  on  which  the 
stamps  become  obsolete,  as  this  should  help  us  in  judging  of  their  comparative 
variety.     Here  is  the  result : — 


Became 
obsolete,  in. 

Numbers. 

S.  G.  &  Co. 

W.K.&  Co. 

Bright. 

Dec.  1895 

2,281 

Chamba,   Ord. 

0  15 

0 

0  10 

0 

066 

Sept.  1898 

1,819 

Service 

0  17 

6 

0  15 

0 

Aug.  1893 

1,560 

Faridkot,  Ord. 

0  10 

0 

0     7 

6 

0  10    0 

Dec.  1898 

1,320 

Service 

0  10 

0 

0  15 

0 

0  15     0 

Oct.  1897 

2,400 

J  hind,       Ord. 

0    8 

6 

O     6 

6 

030 

Do.  1893 

2,640 

Nabha,     Ord. 

0    7 

6 

O     7 

6 

046 

Jan. 1S97 

1,000 

Service 

0  10 

0 

O     7 

6 

030 

Current  ... 

24,000 

Patiala,    Service 

0     5 

0 

0    5 

0 

040 

May  1896 

24.155 

Gwalior,    long,    black  sur- 

0    5 

0 

0    5 

0 

090 

charge 


Here  indeed  is  confusion  worse  confounded.  A  current  stamp  of  which 
24,200  have  been  issued  is  worth  from  three  to  four  times  its  face  value,  while 
one  of  which  only  1 ,000  ever  existed,  and  which  has  been  obsolete  for  two  years, 
is  worth  from  a  little  over  double  to  seven  times  its  face  value.  Messrs. 
Bright  are  actually  prepared  to  sell  the  latter  for  25  p.  c.  less  than  the 
former  !  (The  same  firm,  by-the-way,  value  the  Gwalior  grey  rupee,  short 
black  surcharge — the  rarest  stamp  of  this  State — at  10s.,  against  7s.  6d.  for  the 
fairly  common  one  of  the  long  surcharge  !)  But  it  is  unnecessary  to  do  more 
than  simply  call  attention  to  the  astounding  figures  given  above. 

We  need  not  dwell  either  on  the  stamps  of  these  States  which  never 
existed,  but  yet  are  found  priced  in  one  and  another  of  the  current  catalogues. 
The  stamps  which  we  are  discussing  are  only  just  emerging  from  absolute 
obscurity,  and  must,  we  suppose,  put  up  with  what  treatment  they  can  get. 


Catalogues  and  Prices. 


139 


We  have,  however,  we  hope,  shown  that  the  method  used  in  pricing  these 
stamps  is  not  one  which  produces  results  likely  to  be  of  any  use  to  an  amateur 
collector  desirous  of  exchanging  his  wares  for  stamps  of  countries  better 
known  and  better  catalogued. 

Why,  by-the-way,  is  the  current  6  annas  stamps,  Indian,  priced  in  all 
catalogues  at  three  times  its  face  value  or  more,  while  other  current  stamps 
are  priced  at  only  25  to  50  p.  c.  over  tace  value  ? 


The  American  Journal  of  Philately  gives 
the  following  as  a  complete  list  so  far  of 
this  year's  Guatemala  Provisionals,  with  the 
numbers  of  each  printed  : — 


I  centavo 
i 

on     5c 
,,    25c 

postage 

100,000 
30,000 

i 

,,     5c 

50,000 

i 

.-    75C 

50,000 

6  centavos 

on   5c 

100,000 

6 

,,      IOC 

10,000 

6        » 

,,    20c 

20,000 

6 

,,  1 00c 

20,000 

6 

,,  150c 

20,000 

6 

,,  200c 

20,000 

IO 

,,    20c 

20,000 

i  centavo 

on  large  revenue 

stamp 

150,000 

2  centavos 

on  ic.  large  rev 

stamp 

1 10,000 

i  centavo 

on  ioc.  small  ,, 

,, 

150,000 

2  centavos 

on   ic.      ,       ,, 

,, 

40,000 

2 

,.     5c 

,, 

.. 

103,500 

2 

,,     IOC 

■  ■       ii 

,, 

22,200 

2 

„  25c. 

n       n 

,, 

14,000 

2 

..  5oc- 

.■       >• 

,, 

10,000 

6 

,,     1  peso       ,, 

,, 

20,000 

6 

,,     5  pesos      ,, 

,, 

10,000 

6 

,,  10 

,> 

1. 

10,000 

Among  the  Continental  dealers  who  will 
visit  Manchester  during  the  International 
l'hilatelic  Exhibition,  we  already  know  of 
Messrs.  Bernichon,  Lemaire,  Stock, Monclus, 
and  Singer. 


Mr.  Andreini  sends  to  the  Metropolitan 
Philatelists  the  following  official  list  of  the 
1896-1S97  series  of  postage  stamps,  sur- 
charged. 

''  Habilitado  para  189S  y  1899." 
200,000  of    1  milesima. 
500,000  of    2  milesimas. 
100,000  of    4  ,, 

300,000  of     1  centavo. 
300,000  of    2  centavos. 
2,000,000  of    3         „ 
100,000  of    4         ,, 
300,000  of    5         ,, 
300,000  of    6         ,, 
70,000  of    8         ,, 
50,000  of  20         ,, 
25,000  of  40         ,, 
6,500  of  80 

No  other  stamps  have  been  surcharged  in 
San  Juan,  Puerto  Rico,  since  1873,  so  that 
the  so-called  "Provisionals"  are  fraudulent; 
while  the  changes  in  value  other  than  the 
changes  to  2  and  5  centavos  on  the  War  Tax 
stamps  are  likewise  fraudulent,  and  the 
surcharged  4  milesimas  on  the  5  milesimas, 
1898-99  type,  is  the  greatest  fraud  of  all. 

The  Philatelic  Journal  of  India  for  March 
contains,  as  a  supplement,  a  large  map  or 
diagiam  showing  the  progress  of  the  Indian 
Post  Office  from  1853  onward.  It  is  very 
interesting,  but  of  no  philatelic  value,  as,  in 
the  ordinary  course  of  events,  it  is  only  to  be 
expected  that  the  population,  and  conse- 
quently the  postal  communication,  should 
increase. 


A  Colour  Dictionary,  with  about  two 
hundred  names  of  colours  used  in  print- 
ing, &>c,  specially  prepared  for  Stamp 
Collectors  by  B.  W.  Warhurst.  Lon- 
don: Stanley  Gibbons,  Limited. 


Most  philatelists  know  the  "  colour  chart" 
published  some  years  ago  by  the  Scott 
Stamp  and  Coin  Company.  It  had  a  large 
sale  at  the  time,  and  it  is  yet  frequently  re- 
ferred to  by  writers  who  wish  to  describe  a 
particular  shade  of  colour.  At  the  time  of 
its  appearance  it  was  se/erely  criticised  in 
many  quarters,  and  we  anticipate  that  the 
work  now  under  notice  will  not  fail  to  re- 
ceive even  a  larger  share  of  attention.  A 
first  glance  at  the  book  gave  us  a  favourable 
impression,  but  when  we  look  closely  into  it 
from  a  stamp  collector's  point  of  view,  we 
fail  to  see  its  utility.  True,  it  is  more  of  a 
history  and  description  of  colours  and  their 
origin  than  a  "colour  chart."  Mr.  War- 
hurst is  at  times  scientific,  and  at  others  he 
turns  to  quotations  from  the  poets,  such  as 
"  blue  violets  "  and  "  purple  violets."  If  he 
will  go  to  the  vegetable  market  he  will  find 
that  a  red  cabbage  belongs  to  the  genus 
"  greens."  The  volume  commences  with 
a  title  page  in  purple  on  something — we  are 
afraid  to  give  it  a  name  for  fear  of  making  a 
mistake  ;  once  upon  a  time  we  should  have 
called  it  buff.  Then  we  come  to  "  plate 
No.  i,"  a  kaleidoscopic  arrangement  some- 
thing like  a  star,  consisting  of  an  arrange- 
ment of  twelve  colours  and  six  minor 
varieties,  which  is  pretty.  The  six  primary 
colours,  being  the  longest  points  of  the  star, 
are  all  right  ;  but  we  don't  like  the  look  of 
that  orange  red.  Then  we  come  to  the 
literary  part  of  the  work,  which  is  printed 
on  different  coloured  papers,  and  is  un- 
doubtedly excellent  in  its  way,  so  much  so 
that  we  regret  that  space  will  not  permit  a 
more  extended  review.  We  are  told  that 
it  would  be  just  as  nice  and  correct  to  speak 
nf  "  reddish  blue"  as  to  use  the  terms  "  red 
violet"  or  "  violet  red,"  and  the  following 
anent  mauve  will  undoubtedly  speak  for 
itself. 

"  Professor  Church, 

whose  opinion  should  be  authoritative  on 
this  matter,  writes  in  The  Technical  Educator, 
issued  about  1870  : — '  The  aniline  dye  known 
as  mauve  may  be  taken  as  somewhat  near 
the  normal  violet  .  .  .  which  usually 
appears  much  redder  by  gaslight  than  day- 
light.'     In  a  previous  table  he  assumes  (for 


another  purpose)  the  equivalents  of  yellow 
as  3,  of  red  as  5,  of  blue  as  8  ;  and  for 
bluish-violet  =  1  Red  +  2  Blue  ;  [Purple 
or]  reddish-violet  =  2  Red  +  1  Blue.  We 
may  therefore  be  justified  in  considering 
mauve  as  =  ij  R.  +  1^  B  ;  or,  using  the 
figures  ot  the  primaries  named,  we  get 
pttrple  as  10  for  red  +  8  for  blue  =  18  ; 
mauve  as  7J  for  red  +  12  for  blue  =  19J  ; 
and  violet  as  5  for  red  +16  for  blue  —  21." 

We  have  copied  it  verbatim,  and  regret 
that  we  must  now  pass  on  to  a  "  map  of 
Colourland."  It  is  printed  in  black  on 
blue  (?)  in  the  shape  of  a  pansy — one  of  our 
author's  "  purple  pansies  "  we  suppose,  or 
perhaps  it  is  a  clover  leaf  with  six  petals. 
It  is  arranged  in  "  countries,"  the  colours 
radiating  from  the  centre  of  each  petal 
(which  represents  a  primary  colour)  in 
accordance  with  their  degrees  of  importance, 
and  then  we  come  to  the  illustrations  of 
colours.  There  are  only  forty  of  them,  and 
our  author  admits  they  are  not  a  third  of  the 
actual  shades  used  for  stamp  printing,  but 
they  are  to  be  used  as  "fingerposts."  The 
"magenta"  is  hardly  the  magenta  of  our 
boyhood,  and  the  "  yellow  green  "  appears  to 
us  to  be  a  particularly  bilious  looking  yellow  ; 
the  "  emerald  green  "  is  exactly  the  shade  of 
our  old  triangular  friend  of  the  Cape,  bu 
the  buff  is  hardly  the  buff  of  postcards 
There  is  an  alphabetical  list  of  colour 
names,  in  which  we  miss  the  celebrated 
"  Kanarienvogelgelb,"  and  in  which,  although 
we  notice  a  Prussian  green,  our  old  friend 
"  Prussian  blue  "  does  not  appear — a  prob- 
able omission  which  is  made  up  for  by  "  red 
currant;"  and,  though  "strawberry"  does 
not  appear  as  a  colour,  we  have  "  apricot," 
"  Havana,"  and  many  others.  The  author 
states  that  black  is  black  (the  italics  are  his), 
and  we  are  glad  to  hear  it,  as  we  have  heard 
of  people  who  would  swear  that  it  is  white. 
Seriously  the  work  should  be  useful  to  the 
student  of  colours  and  to  many  philatelists, 
besides  which  we  notice  that  it  is  advertised 
as  "  suitable  for  use  in  schools." 


Priced  Catalogue  of  the  local  postage 
stamps  of  the  world  (1899) — London: 
Stanley  Gibbons,  Limited.  Price  1/-, 
Post  free,  1/3. 

This  is  the  third  part  of  the  celebrated 
"  Gibbons'  Catalogue,"  and,  we  believe,  the 
first  publication  of  its  kind  devoted  entirely 
to  locals.      In   size  it  is   uniform   with  the 


I42 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


other  parts  and,  to  our  surprise,  it  makes 
quite  a  respectable  volume,  being  almost  as 
thick  as  the  British  Empire  section.  The 
paper  and  printing  and  the  illustrations  are 
equal  to  parts  I.  and  II.,  which  is  satisfactory, 
except  in  some  cases  of  illustrations,  which 
is,  however,  partly  due  to  their  being  too 
small  to  show  up  the  details  of  the  designs. 
The  volume  commences  with  the  English 
■"  Railway  Letter  Stamps,"  which  have  now 


found  a  new  and  perhaps  permanent  home 
as  "locals,"  probably  much  to  the  surprise 
of  many  of  our  readers.  Of  the  122 
pages  which  constitute  the  volume,  Russia 
occupies  no  less  than  seventy-two,  or  more 
than  half,  and  the  United  States  sixteen. 
As  to  the  prices  we  will  make  no  comments; 
locals  are  an  acquired  taste,  and  their 
relative  values  have  never  hitherto  been 
properly  denned. 


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Williams  &  Co. 


J43 


"Williams  &  Co." 

Now  that  the  "  Williams  "  bubble  is 
burst,  we  hear  some  details.    Thus  the  Revue 

Philatelique  Postale  : — 

"  A  friend  of  ours  has  just  returned  from 
Peru,  and  has  given  us  some  definite  infor- 
mation about  the  great  firm  of  Williams  & 
Co.,  Lima,  Peru,  which  for  months  past  has 
been  filling  with  its  enormous  advertisements 
the  philatelic  publications  of  the  whole 
world. 

"  We  may  say  at  once  that  the  news  which 
reaches  us  is  not  reassuring,  as  the  following 
will  show  : — 

"  First  of  all,  Williams  does  not  exist,  and 
never  did  exist.     He  is  a  myth. 

"The  Co.,  more  fortunate  than  his  part- 
ner, is  in  the  land  of  the  living,  and  bears 
the  name  of  Casnough. 


"  Mr.  Casnough  holds  a  post  at  the  Cable 
Office  of  Barranco  (a  suburb  of  Lima),  and 
lives  in  a  little  room  on  the  ground  floor  of 
the  Hotel  Cardinal. 

"  Mr.  Casnough  has  two  employes  :  first, 
a  Mr.  Farrant,  who  looks  after  the  German 
correspondence  ;  and  second,  a  parrot. 

"This  room  in  the  hotel,  which  alone 
constitutes  the  'stock-room  '  and  '  offices  '  of 
the  important  firm  of  'Williams  &  Co.',  is 
so  small,  and  the  parrot  fills  it  so  completely 
with  its  discordant  cries,  that  the  few  persons 
who  wish  to  interview  Mr.  Casnough  do  so 
from  the  street  outside,  through  the  window, 
which  thus  serves  as  a  sort  of  guichet. 

"  When  this  guichet  window  opens,  it  is 
generally  to  let  in  the  air  which  Mr. 
Casnough  needs  for  the  task  of  writing  his 
advertisements  ;  the  parrot,  too,  wants  it, 
as  he  perches,  screeching  at  the  philatelists 
of  Europe." — Philatelic  Journal  of  India. 


Notices. 


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Limited,  ii,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  England. 

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SPECIAL      POSITIONS      BY     ARRANGEMENT. 

Enquiries  connected  with  the  Advertisement  pages  should  be  addressed  to  Messrs.  Buhl  &  Co.,  u,  Queen 
Victoria  Street,  London,  E.C. 

Advertisements  must  be  received  not  later  than  the  15th  of  the  month  for  publication  in  the  next  issue. 

All  letters  for  the  editor  should  be  addressed:  The  Editor,  Philatelic  Record,  care  of  Buhl  & 
Co.,  Limited,  II,  Queen  Victoria  Street,  London,  E.C 


144  Advertisements.  June,  1899. 


M.  TH.  LEMAIRE, 


Can   be   seen   any  morning 
during  the  Philatelic  Exhibition 

at  the 

Queer's  Hotel, 


apcbester. 


He    will    have    for    inspection    a 

Fine  Selection  of  Stamps 

PRINCIPALLY 

.     .    MAURITIUS,     .     . 

INCLUDING  THE 

ONE  PENNY   "POST  OFFICE." 


The    Philatelic    Record. 


M.     THEOPHILE     LEMAIRE. 


The   Philatelic  Record 

AND    STAMP     NEWS. 


JULY,    1899. 


Editorial    Notes. 


AFTER  every  great  effort  in  the  direction  of  a  Stamp  Exhibition, 
certain  minds  of  a  philosophic  cast  ruminate  over  the  old  question 
"  How  has  the  Exhibition  affected  Stamp  Collecting  ?  "     Up  to  a 
certain  point  the  reply  is  simple  enough.     Immediately  before  the 
Exhibition   intending   exhibitors  are  looking  up  dealers  and 
After  the      examining   stock   books    in    all   directions,    in    the    hope    of 
Exhibition,    completing  some  series,  or  filling  some  gap,  and  consequently 
there  is,   before  the  opening  of  an  Exhibition,  an  abnormal 
and  active  demand  for  stamps.     This  demand  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
rare  stamps,  for  your  specialist  has,  in  such  cases,  more  often  to  complete 
his  series  of  modern  issues  than  to  fill  up  gaps  in  old  rarities. 

After  the  Exhibition  is  quite  another  matter.  Theoretically,  an  Ex- 
hibition should  bring  in  a  lot  of  recruits,  and  there  is  no  doubt  it  does 
have  some  effect  in  this  direction  ;  but  the  effect,  we  are  persuaded,  is  out 
of  all  proportion  to  the  effort.  And  the  reason  is  obvious.  Apart  from 
showing  the  stamps  there  is  no  attempt  whatever  to  gather  in  recruits. 

Q  Q  Q 

The  lull  that  too  ominously  follows  every  Stamp  Exhibition 
Exhibitions      compels  the  question  "  Can  Exhibitions  be  used  as  Recruit- 
as  ing   Grounds  ?  "     We  see   no  reason  to   doubt   their  great 
Eecruiting       value    as   recruiting  grounds,  under  efficient  and  intelligent 
Grounds.        management.       Hitherto    Exhibitions   have   been    run    and 
patronised   for   the  main    purpose   of    enabling  a  few  well 
known    and    wealthy    specialists    to    make    a    public    display     of    their 
marvellous   philatelic  wealth  to    an    admiring   philatelic   crowd.      There 
has   been   no   special   attempt    whatever    to    extend   the   pursuit   of    the 
hobby,  to  further  popularise  it.     In  ordinary  exhibitions  you   are  flooded 
with  literature  of  an  instructive  character,  designed  to  interest  you  in  the 
articles   or   goods   exhibited,    and  there  are   often  lectures  delivered  and 
papers  read  with  the  same  excellent  purpose. 

Some  day  we  may  return  to  this  topic.  Meanwhile  we  throw  out  the 
suggestion  for  rumination. 


146  The  Philatelic  Record. 

Better  than   all   the   great  International  Philatelic  Exhi- 

More    Society       bitions,  in  which  the  distribution  of  a  plethora  of  medals 

Exhibitions         is  a    foregone   conclusion,    is    probably   the    purely   local 

Wanted.  exhibition  of  a  local  society,  when  every  member  shows,  for 

comparison    and   study,    all   he  possesses  of  a  particular 

country.     The  educative  value  of  such  shows  is  probably  more  enduring 

than  the  confusion  of  a  great  International  display.     There  is  not  enough 

of  the  business  of  comparison  and  study  in  our  Society  gatherings.     In 

the  old  days,  in  the  meetings  of  the  Philatelic  Society  of  London,  every 

member  was  required  to  bring  his  possession  of  the  country  set  down  for 

study,  and  so  important  was  this  requirement  regarded,  that  any  member 

who  failed  to  comply  with  the  rule  subjected  himself  to  a  fine  of  a  shilling. 

But  specialism  gradually  elbowed  this  excellent  rule  out  of  the  Society's 

statutes.     And  now  some  specialist  reads  a  paper  and  passes  round  his 

grand  possessions  and  the  rest  of  "the  members  look  on  in  wonder  and 

rarely  even  mention  their  own  endeavours.     Yet,  so  great  is  the  variety  of 

stamps   now-a-days   in    shade,    perforation,    or    watermark,    that    in    all 

probability  many  useful  lessons  are  lost  by  this  latter-day  prevalence  of 

one  man  shows. 


Catalogue   for   Collectors.  147 


Catalogue  for  Collectors. 


A   Paper   read   before  the   Philatelic   Society,    London, 
on    March    17TH,    1899. 

By   EDWARD  J.   NANKIVELL. 

(From  the  London  Philatelist^) 

IN  setting  forth  a  proposal  for  the  compilation  of  a  Catalogue  for 
Collectors,  I  do  not  wish  to  undervalue  the  splendid  price  lists 
published  by  dealers,  which  have  hitherto  served  the  double  purpose 

of   trade  price  lists  and   guides  to  collecting. 

What  I  wish  to  emphasize  is  the  fact  that  stamp  collecting  has  now 
taken  such  a  firm  hold  upon  all  classes  of  the  community  as  to  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  the  many  hobbies  which  serve  to  divert 
the  attention  of  the  busy  man  and  provide  a  pastime  for  the  man  of  no 
occupation.  Its  adherents  now  include  some  of  the  keenest  business  men 
of  the  day,  some  of  the  most  exalted  in  the  State,  and  some  of  the  most 
studious.  The  result  is  that  we  are  every  year  more  and  more  efficiently 
gathering  up  and  piecing  together  the  postal  history  of  every  stamp- 
issuing  country.  Hence  it  follows  that  Philatelists  have  become  the  real 
historians  of  the  introduction  and  the  development  of  the  Postal  Service 
of  the  world. 

Under  these  circumstances  I  submit  that  it  is  somewhat  of  an 
anomaly  that  we  should  continue  to  depend  solely  upon  dealers'  price  lists 
for  the  publication,  in  catalogue  form,  of  the  results  of  our  studies  and 
researches. 

The  excellent  price  lists  which  the  leading  dealers  now  publish  have 
unquestionably  been  brought  to  a  most  commendable  state  of  perfection — 
as  price  lists.  But  as  Catalogues  for  Collectors,  as  guides  to  collecting, 
they  are  lacking  in  not  a  few  very  important  essentials. 

The  dealer  provides  a  price  list  for  the  sale  of  his  goods,  and  he 
naturally  compiles  it  with  that  view. 

In  some  countries  we  have  a  wealth  of  detail  in  the  matter  of 
perforation,  printing,  and  surcharge  ;  in  other  countries  but  little  attention 
is  paid  to  these  matters.  There  is,  in  fact,  and  in  the  nature  of  the  case, 
an  utter  lack  of  proportion  in  the  price  lists  of  the  day,  regarded  from  the 
purely  Philatelic  standpoint.  This  is  so  apparent  to  the  most  ordinary 
collector  that  I  need  not  labour  the  point  by  drawing  invidious  comparisons. 

What  the  collector  wants  is  a  Catalogue  that  shall  deal  exhaustively 
with  every  country,  whether  it  be  a  popular  selling  country  or  a  much- 
neglected  State. 

A  dealer  may  justifiably  economise  space  when  dealing  with  countries 
for  the  stamps  of  which  there  is  no  commensurate  demand.  But  the 
Philatelist  can  have  no  such  excuse,  and  it  somewhat  reflects  upon  us  as 
Philatelists  that  we  have  not  before  this  set  to  work  to  remedy  an  admitted 
defect. 


148  The  Philatelic  Record. 

The  need  of  a  Catalogue  for  Collectors  by  collectors  is  every  day 
becoming  more  and  more  pressing.  In  the  price  lists  there  is  an  undue 
straining  after  varieties  in  the  case  of  popular  countries,  a  multiplication 
of  infinitesimal  oddities,  that  is  doing  much  mischief  to  the  true  interests 
of  collecting. 

Given  a  popular  country  and  an  enthusiastic  specialist  with  a  micro- 
scopic vision,  and  you  may  ruin  the  most  promising  and  enjoyable  country 
by  over-elaboration.  More  than  one  splendid  country  has  been  smothered 
with  infinitesimal  varieties.  If  we  follow  the  road  some  specialists  would 
lead  us,  we  shall  some  day  come  to  collect  by  microscope.  We  shall  have 
Die.  I.,  Die  II.,  Die  III.,  and  dies  innumerable,  till  we  die  altogether, 
prematurely  hastened  into  our  graves  by  racking  endeavours  to  differentiate 
between  varieties  which  even  the  most  powerful  microscopes  fail  to  make 
satisfactorily  clear. 

Can  we  remedy  this  state  of  things  ?  I  contend  that  we  can,  and  that 
we  should  do  so  without  further  delay  by  the  publication  of  a  Catalogue 
prepared  and  issued  by  Collectors  for  collectors,  and  published  with  the 
authority  and  imprimatur  of  the  Philatelic  Society  of  London. 

My  proposal  would  embody  the  production  of  a  Catalogue  that  should 
be  unpriced,  that  should  deal  exhaustively  and  in  proper  proportion  with 
every  country,  and  that  should  serve  alike  the  purposes  of  the  beginner, 
the  advanced  collector,  and  the  specialist.  This  may  seem  a  large  order, 
but,  properly  managed,  it  may  easily  come  within  the  scope  of  a  Society 
which  commands  so  much  Philatelic  talent  as  our  own  Society  embraces 
within  its  roll  of  membership. 

As  to  the  modus  operandi.  I  would  form  a  large  committee  of,  say,  a 
dozen  or  twenty  of  our  leading  members,  including,  of  course,  the  members 
of  the  Publishing  Committee.  The  committee  should  be  large,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  delegate  portions  of  the  work  to  sub-committees  of  its  own  body. 
This  committee  should  have  its  elected  chairman,  an  editor,  and  an 
energetic  secretary. 

The  duty  of  the  committee  would  be  to  prepare  a  draft  of  a  Catalogue 
which,  as  I  have  said,  should  deal  exhaustively,  and  in  proper  proportion, 
with  every  country  down  to  the  end  of  1900.  This  draft  should  be  set  up 
in  type  and  supplied  in  proof  form  to  the  regular  attendants  at  our 
meetings,  and  to  any  other  members  or  collectors  whose  desirable 
co-operation  could  be  secured.  The  recipients  of  those  proofs  should 
examine,  criticise,  and  make  suggestions.  To  further  revise  the  lists  and 
ensure  their  accuracy  I  would  reinstitute  our  reference  list  meetings.  At 
those  meetings  the  lists  should  be  examined  in  detail,  and  members  having 
had  the  opportunity  of  previously  examining  and  criticising  the  proof 
should  be  able  to  help  materially  in  the  work  of  perfecting  the  details  of 
the  Catalogue.  The  co-operation  of  specialists  should  be  invited  in  order 
that  the  Catalogue  should  be  as  comprehensive  as  the  closest  study  could 
make  it.  The  work  of  final  revision  and  the  examination  of  suggestions 
and  corrections  would  of  course  rest  with  the  committee,  who  would  finally 
decide  what  to  omit  and  what  to  include  after  taking  note  of  the  evidence 
gathered  together  as  the  result  of  the  circulation  of  the  proofs. 

In  order  to  make  it  available  for  the  beginner,  the  advanced  collector, 
and  the  specialist  alike,  the  normal  issues  should  be  set  up  in  large  type, 
say  long  primer,  and  the  varieties  in  small  type,  say  nonpareil.  The 
beginner  would  collect  by  the  large  type  the  normal  issues,  and  the 
advanced  collector  and  specialist  would  take  in  the  small  type  as  well. 

The  illustrations  should  all  be  of  the  very  best  quality,  and  specially 
done  for  the  Catalogue,  each  stamp  being  in  its  natural  size,  and  every 
type,  whether  of  design  or  surcharge,  should  be  clearly  illustrated. 


Catalogue  for  Collectors.  149 

The  cost  of  production  will  no  doubt  bulk  up  heavily.  The  printing 
of  proofs  and  the  subsequent  correction  of  those  proofs,  and  the  pre- 
paration of  the  thousands  of  illustrations  which  would  be  necessary, 
would  total  up  to  a  very  considerable  item.  I  do  not  wish  to  minimise 
either  the  labour  or  the  expense  which  it  will  entail. 

But  despite  all  these  drawbacks,  properly  managed  it  would  be  a 
source,  not  of  loss,  but  of  very  considerable  profit  to  our  Society.  Taking 
it  from  the  strictly  pecuniary  point  of  view,  it  would  not  be  too  much  to 
say  that  it  would  be  certain  to  secure  a  very  large  circulation.  Personally, 
I  should  be  disappointed  at  anything  under  a  circulation  of  5000  copies, 
for  it  would  be  in  demand  wherever  there  is  an  English-speaking 
collector.  It  would  therefore  have  an  unquestionable  value  as  an 
advertising  medium,  and  I  estimate  that  the  advertisements  would  cover 
the  cost  of  production,  and  that  the  sales  would  be  net  profit. 

Finally,  the  question  arises,  "  Is  the  game  worth  the  candle  ?  "  It 
seems  to  me  that  it  is. 

To  a  Society  like  ours  the  effort  should  be  worth  the  making.  It 
would  be  no  small  gain  to  Philately  if  we  produced  a  work  that 
should  truly  and  comprehensively  register  the  high-water  mark  which  we 
have  reached  in  the  study  of  the  postal  issues  of  the  world  ;  that  should 
set  out,  in  form  as  serviceable  to  the  beginner  as  to  the  specialist,  the 
normal  issues  and  the  true  varieties  of  every  country  ;  that  should  include 
all  true  type  varieties  and  weed  out  the  infinitesimal  and  the  accidental  ; 
and  that  should  discriminate  between  genuine  postal  issues  and  worthless 
speculative  issues. 

Such  a  Catalogue,  I  venture  to  say,  would  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the 
beginner  and  the  specialist  alike,  would  settle  disputed  points  of  varieties, 
once  and  for  all,  for  dealer  as  well  as  for  collector  ;  for  the  imprimatur  of  the 
Society  to  such  a  work  would  in  the  end  establish  an  undeniable  authority 
for  the  dictum  of  the  Catalogue. 

I  feel  certain  that  it  would  redound  to  the  credit  of  this  Society,  that 
it  would  establish  more  firmly  than  ever  its  claim  to  the  sympathy  and 
respect  of  the  Philatelic  world.  And  there  is  no  question  that  it  would 
give  stamp  collecting  an  impetus  that  would  be  felt  in  the  years  to  come. 
It  would  put  an  end  to  perplexities  that  puzzle  us  ;  it  would  settle  questions 
that  vex  us,  for  it  would  be  the  final  court  of  Philatelic  appeal.  We  should 
free  Philately  from  the  thraldom  of  the  price  list,  from  the  domination  of 
the  trader,  and  give  it  a  better  and  truer  and  freer  status  as  a  pleasure- 
yielding  pursuit. 


150  The  Philatelic    Record. 


New   Stamps  for  Tasmania. 


From  the  Australian  Philatelist. 


SEVERAL  correspondents  have  kindly  sent  us  the  following  news- 
paper paragraphs  : 
"  Hobart,  Tuesday. — Collectors  of  postage  stamps  all  over  the 
world  will  be  glad  to  know  that  Sir  Edward  Braddon  has  ordered  the 
Secretary  of  the  General  Post  Office  to  send  to  England  for  a  new  set  of 
stamps  similar  to  those  lately  issued  in  New  Zealand.  These  stamps  will 
be  illustrated  with  views  of  different  places  of  interest  in  Tasmania. 

"  The  decision  of  the  Government  to  lay  in  a  new  stock  of  stamps, 
letter  cards,  and  other  saleable  postal  goods,  may  be  regarded  as  an  indica- 
tion that  the  public  officials  connected  with  that  department  are  waking  up 
to  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  letting  the  colony  appear  before  the  world 
in  its  best  clothes.  Since  the  question  of  more  effectively  advertising 
Tasmania  has  been  under  discussion — a  period  covered  approximately  by 
the  time  that  has  elapsed  since  an  industrial  policy  was  outlined  in  our 
columns  in  1897 — a  distinct  desire  to  move  ahead  has  been  apparent.  It  is 
evidently  beginning  to  dawn  upon  those  to  whom  the  idea  previously 
seemed  preposterous  that  by  more  enterprise  in  certain  directions,  and 
more  efficient  organization,  some  departments  of  the  public  service  hitherto 
regarded  as  encumbrances  can  be  made  reproductive,  and  that  compara- 
tively little  expenditure  is  needed  to  do  it.  Brains  rather  than  money  are 
wanted  to  put  the  colony  on  something  like  a  fair  footing  with  its  neigh- 
bours as  regards  dissemination  of  information  concerning  the  island  and  its 
natural  resources.  The  adoption  of  stamps  and  letter  cards  as  mediums 
for  advertising  the  attractions  of  the  colony  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction. 
If  the  illustrations  are  well  done  they  will  help  to  convey  to  thousands  of 
people  beyond  the  shores  of  Tasmania  some  idea  as  to  the  charms  of  its 
scenery.  Now  the  penny  postage  system  is  becoming  general  throughout 
the  empire,  the  question  of  stamps  of  uniform  color  and  size  is  being 
debated.  It  would  certainly  be  an  advantage  to  know  that  a  green  stamp 
represented  the  same  price  all  over  the  empire,  and  that  other  colored 
stamps  were  similarly  of  equal  value  wherever  bought.  When  we  get 
federation  it  will  be  possible,  of  course  to  have  a  uniform  postage  system 
throughout  the  Commonwealth,  so  that  a  Tasmanian  halfpenny  stamp  will 
be  the  same  color  as  one  obtained  in  any  other  colony." — 

Daily  Telegraph,  March  3rd. 

Mr.  P.  Malone  informs  us  further  that  the  following  is  an  approximate 
list  of  values,  colors,  and  designs  : 

\&.  green,  Lake  Marion,  Du  Cane  Range, 
id.  red,  Mountain  Lake,  Huon  Road. 
2d.  lilac,  Cataract  Gorge,  Launceston. 
2^d.  dark  blue,  St.  Columba  Falls. 
3d.  claret,  Lake  St.  Clair. 
4d.  orange,  Russel  Falls. 
5d.  light  blue,  Mount  Gould. 
6d.  violet  lake,  Dilston  Falls. 


New  Stamps  for  Tasmania. 


151 


Doubtless  this  list  is  incomplete,  none  of  the  higher  values  being 
represented.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  ^d.,  id.,  and  2^d.,  are  to  be  in  the 
Postal  Union  colors,  from  which  we  may  infer  that  the  current  -|d.  and  2^d. 
will  not  be  changed  in  color. 

A  number  of  illustrated  post  and  letter  cards  are  also  to  appear,  the 
latter  with  impressed  2d.  stamp  in  lilac.  The  cards  are  to  be  tinted,  in  size 
5f  x  3-J  inches,  and  will  bear  the  following  views: — Hobart,  Launceston, 
Great  Lake,  River  Derwent  (New  Norfolk),  St.  Mary's  Pass,  and  Mount 
Ida  (Lake  St.  Clair).  The  order  for  the  stamps  has  been  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  engravers,  and  it  is  expected  that  they  will  reach  the  colony 
and  be  ready  for  issue  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  time. 

Mr.  F.  Bourne  sends  us  the  following  letter  he  received  from  the 
Premier's  office  : 

6th  March,  1899. 
Sir, — In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  3rd  instant,  I  am  instructed  by  the 
Right  Honourable  the  Premier,  to  inform  you  that  the  designs  for  the  new 
issue  of  postage  stamps  have  already  been  chosen.  Whilst  they  are 
scarcely  intended  to  be  permanent,  they  will  last  until  there  is  a  reason  for 
a  change  in  the  same. — I  have,  etc., 

Signed,  Geo.  Steward,  Secretary  to  the  Premier. 

From  this  letter  we  gather  that  the  issue  is  not  officially  regarded  as  a 
strictly  permanent  one.  Nevertheless  there  must  be  a  "  reason "  before 
any  change  will  be  made.  Let  us  hope  that  the  only  reason  will  be  the 
federation  of  the  colonies. 


152 


The    Philatelic    Record. 


Fiscal    Notes. 

By     A.    PRESTON     PEARCE. 


THROUGH  some  mischance  no  proof  of 
my  May  Notes  reached  me,  and  I  have, 
therefore,  to  apologize  for  various  printers' 
errors  of  a  more  or  less  noticeable  kind,  and 
to  correct  one  stupid  blunder  that  not  only 
disguises  my  meaning,  but  creates  the 
painfully  erroneous  impression  that  I  must 
be  a  multi-millionaire.  Will  readers  kindly 
turn  to  page  104,  and  strike  out  the  personal 
pronoun  appearing  as  the  third  word  in  the 
ninth  line  from  the  bottom  ? 

Referring  to  the  Marine  Policy  stamps,  the 
extended  employment  of  which  was  re- 
cently under  consideration,  Mr.  A.  White 
informs  me  that  he  recently  saw  a  specimen 
affixed  to  a  Power  of  Attorney,  the  irregular- 
ity being  caused  by  the  fact  that  the  stamp- 
ing machine  was  out  of  order. 

*  *         * 

According  to  UAmi  des  Timbres,  the 
Brazilian  Budget  for  the  current  year  pro- 
vides for  the  imposition  of  stamp  duties  on 
perfumes,  candles,  and  boots.  It  also 
quadruples  the  duty  on  tobacco  ;  so  it  is 
quite  on  the  cards  that  specimens  belonging 
to  four  new  series  will  soon  be  coming  over. 

Perfumes  and  candles  are  familiar  objects 
in    our    lists,  but    a    tax   on    footgear   is    a 

decided  novelty. 

*  »         * 

If  some  enterprising  publisher  would  get 
together  the  material,  and  issue  a  small 
annual  containing  the  Budget  proposals  of 
all  countries,  the  compilation  should  prove 
most  interesting  reading. 

It  has  always  been  one  of  the  charms  of 
revenue  stamp  collecting  that  the  varying 
economic  needs  and  resources  of  different 
localities  are  so  frequently  displayed  by  the 
objects  of  our  search,  and  it  would  appear 
that  the  wide  range  of  things  dutiable  is 
only  circumscribed  by  the  ingenuity  of  the 
imposing  powers. 

*  *         * 

A  few  months  ago  I  had  occasion  to  make 
some  comments  in  Stamps  on  the  paucity  of 
ha'penny  revenues  available  for  our  collec- 
tions. Of  my  own  knowledge  I  could  only 
enumerate  one  British,  two  Cape,  and  one 
Victorian,  but  added,  on  the  authority  of 
Continental  catalogues,  the  £d.  rose  news- 
paper stamp  of  New  Zealand,  overprinted 
"Stamp  Duty"  in  black.  The  genuineness 
of  this  last  is  now  questioned  by  Mr.  A. 
Hamilton,  of  Dunedin,     so    if   any    reader 


possesses  a  specimen    I   should   be  grateful 
for  the  opportunity  of  examining  it. 

Reference  was  made  in  the  May  Notes  to 
the  care  necessary  to  fustrate  the  aims  of  the 
forger,  and  I  am  constrained  to  revert  to  the 
subject  by  the  appearance  of  the  set  of 
Portuguese  Bills  for  1899,  which  are  without 
indication  of  "  Semestre." 

A  couple  of  years  ago  some  serious  frauds 
were  discovered  in  Portugal,  which  pointed 
to  the  necessity  for  more  careful  supervision, 
and  to  facilitate  this  the  dated  portion  of 
the  design  was  changed  each  half-year. 
Collectors  then  had  to  choose  between  con- 
siderably extending  their  lists  and  ignoring 
the  innovation,  and,  as  one's  natural  impulse 
is  to  retain  all  distinct  varieties  that  are 
encountered,  it  is  probable  that  only  the 
most  strong-minded  of  general  collectors 
adopted  the  alternative  course.  It  is,  there- 
fore, quite  a  relief  to  find  that  this  modifica- 
tion has  been  abandoned,  and  we  are  now 
free  to  hope  that  Uruguay  may  soon  be  able 
to  dispense  with  the  similar  quarterly  pre- 
caution that  in  her  case  has  been  in  force 
ever  since  July,  1891. 

For  the  information  of  beginners  it  may 
perhaps  be  as  well  to  state  that  the  biennial 
dates  so  frequently  found  on  stamps  seldom 
imply  that  the  period  of  service  is  one  of 
two  years,  for  in  the  great  majority  of  such 
cases  they  merely  indicate  the  financial  year 
commencing  on  July  1st. — 1894-1895,  2do. 
Trimestre  (Uruguay),  covers  the  period 
October-December,  1894;  ar>d  the  date  18S7- 
1888  on  the  Mexican  issues  denotes  a  period 
of    twelve    months,    commencing  July    1st, 


"A  horrible  nigger's  head"  is  the  un- 
complimentary description  in  Le  Timbre 
Poste  of  the  principal  feature  of  a  stamp 
received  by  Monsieur  Moens.  It  is  inscribed 
"  Republic  of  Hawaii — Internal  Revenue — 
One  Dollar,"  and  is  printed  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  in  deep  blue  on  white  paper, 
perf.  12. 

Doubtless  some  American  reader  can 
furnish  information  as  to  the  fiscal  position 
in  the  Sandwich  Isles,  and  can  tell  us  what 
revenue  stamps  are  now  current  there.  The 
specimen  just  described  can  hardly  have 
been  issued  since  the  annexation,  and  the 
fact  that  it  has  remained  unknown  for  some 
time  is  most  readily  accounted  for  by  its 
non-appearance  on  Foreign  Bills. 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


153 


rS. 


Queensland  Zig-Zag  Perfs. 

The  Australian  Philatelist  gives  the 
following  information  concerning  recent 
vagaries  in  Queensland  Perforations  ; 

"  The  zig-zag  perforation  was  a  fiasco, 
principally  on  account  of  it  being  necessary 
to  perforate  before  gumming.  The  gum 
then  fastened  up  the  holes  made  by  the  steel 
rule.  It  was  impossible  to  perforate  after 
gumming,  and  about  3,000  out  of  the  5,000 
sheets  printed  and  issued  to  the  General 
Post  Office  were  returned  to  the  Government 
Printing  Office,  to  be  perforated  in  the 
ordinary  way  by  the  comb  machine.  There 
are  thus  four  varieties  of  this  latest  per- 
foration, viz. : 

1.  Serrated. 

2.  Serrated  in  black. 

3.  Serrated  and  perf.  12^. 

4.  Serrated  in  black  and  perf.  12J. 
The  explanation  given  for  the  existence  of 

the  serrated  in  black  variety  is  that  the 
machinists  (this  work  being  done  on  an 
ordinary  printing  machine),  in  order  to  get 
the  perforation  to  register  properly,  ran 
several  sample  sheets  through  the  press  and 
so  arranged  it  that  the  frame  did  not  per- 
forate, but,  with  the  judicious  application  of 
a  little  printers'  ink,  simply  left  a  black 
impression.  Where  this  impression  en- 
croached on  the  coloured  design  of  the 
stamp,  the  register  was  altered,  until  at  last 
all  the  lines  of  the  perforating  frame  fell 
between  the  rows  of  stamps,  then  the 
'sampling'  was  discontinued,  and  the  per- 
forating proceeded  merrily." 

Belgian  Telegraph  Stamps. 

The  American  journal  of  Philately 
publishes  the  following  from  its  Brussels 
agent  concerning  Belgium  Telegraph  stamps 
said  by  Mr.  Bouvez  to  have  done  service 
as  postage  stamps. 

"  Telegraph  "  stamps,  as  Special  Delivery 
stamps  (the  25c.  excepted)  are  nonsense ; 
Bouvez,  Senf.,  etc.,  to  the  contrary  notwith- 
standing. 

In  their  time  the  25c.  telegraph  stamps 
were  used  for  special  delivery  letters  ;  in  the 
majority  of  cases,  on  such  letters,  they  were 
found  cancelled  with  a  hexagonal  stamp. 
When,  however,  they  were  cancelled  at  a 
sub-station  or  a  smaller  office,  which  had 
only  the  circular  cancellation  stamp,  this 
was  necessarily  employed.  In  the  less 
important  telegraph  offices  too,  particularly 
where  the  telegraph  and  post  offices  were 
combined  at  the  railroad  station,  either 
cancellation  stamp  was  used  according  to 
the  convenience  of  the  moment,   and  con- 


sequently 50c,  fr.  1. 00  and  fr.  5.00  telegraph 
stamps,  on  the  telegraph  blanks,  are  also 
found  with  circular  (postal)  cancellations  ; 
unscrupulous  individuals  describe  these  as 
having  been  used  on  special  delivery  letters 
and  sell  them  as  such — just  as  others 
endeavour  to  sell  postal  packet  stamps, 
cancelled  at  small  stations  with  the  circular 
cancellation  stamp,  as  postage  stamps. 

At  present  only  postage  stamps  are  used  to 
prepay  special  delivery  fees,  25  centimes  for 
each  letter  (the  single  or  plural  postal  rate 
not  included)  ;  and  this  charge  is  the  same 
for  every  post  office  or  railroad  station  in  the 
country,  25c.  equally  for  Ostend  or  Verviers. 
Should  the  destination  of  the  letter  be 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  office,  the  receiving 
office  collects  the  rate  in  cash  according  to  a 
distance  tariff  (per  kilometre)  established  for 
each  locality,  and  enters  it  to  the  credit  of 
the  delivering  office.  Consequently  no  50c, 
fr.  1. 00  or  fr.  5.00  stamps  are  to  be  found  on 
special  delivery  letters. 

It  is  necessary  to  be  cautious  even  with 
the  circular  cancelled  25c.  telegraph  stamps, 
at  one  time  actually  used  on  special  delivery 
letters  ;  the  dark  green  (including  the  dark 
yellow  green)  only  is  genuine.  The  light 
green  and  the  emerald  green  are  too  recent ; 
these  colors  appeared  after  the  use  of  postage 
stamps  exclusively  for  special  delivery  letters 
had  begun.  The  best  criterion  is  an  old 
date-stamp. 

The  best  way  to  get  5c.  and  10c.  telegraph 
stamps,  "  postally  used,"  is  to  prepay  a  local 
letter  with  such  stamps  and  drop  it  in  the 
post  box,  or  in  one  of  the  boxes  found  on 
omnibuses  or  street  cars,  instead  of  handing 
it  over  the  counter  as  prescribed.  The 
cancelling  clerk  will  note  "  found  in  the  box  " 
and  let  the  letter  pass,  since  the  Government 
loses  nothing  by  the  operation." 

German  Colonials. 

Some  day  the  Specialist  will  take  up 
German  Colonials.  Meanwhile  the  follow- 
ing information  from  the  Philatelic  Monthly 
and  World  will  help  to  their  better  appreci- 
ation : 

"  The  new  '  China  '  series  of  surcharged 
German  stamp  dates  from  January,  i8g8,  for 
the  values  of  5,  10,  20,  25  and  50  pf.  The  3 
pf.  postage  stamp  was  not  issued  at  first  and 
only  since  January  of  this  year  a  small 
quantity  of  stamps  of  3  pf.  was  sent  to 
Shanghai  and  Tsintau.  This  value  can  only 
be  employed  in  sending  circulars  or  news- 
papers between  the  two  cities  just  mentioned. 

German  East  Africa  was  the  first  German 
colony  to  receive  postage  stamps  of  its  own, 
mainly    because  of    the   different   currency 


154 


The  Philatelic    Record. 


used  in  that  country.  The  first  issue — i8g3 
— without  the  name  of  the  colony  consisted 
of  the  following  values :  2  pesa  on  3  pf. 
brown  ;  3  p.  on  5  pf.  green  ;  5  p.  on  10  pf. 
red  ;  10  p.  on  20  pf.  blue  ;  and  25  p.  on  50 
pf.  red-brown.  The  second  issue — i8g6 — 
consist  of  the  same  values  surcharged 
"  Deutsch  Ostafrika,"  and  a  new  value 
diagonally  across  the  stamp. 

There  is  but  one  Post  Office  on  the  Mar- 
shall Islands  Archipelago,  Jaluit.  This 
explains,  why  3  and  25  pf.  stamps  are  entirely 
superfluous.  As  a  matter  of  fact  only  the  10 
and  20  pf.  stamps  have  ever  been  seen  used, 
and  it  is  not  known  definitely  whether  the 
5  and  50  pf.  have  ever  reached  the  Islands. 
Since  the  Spanish-American  conflict  the 
former  mail  route  from  Ponape  (Carolines) 
has  ceased  to  exist  and  Jaluit  has  now  only 
irregular  and  occasional  steamer  connection 
with  Sydney.  There  is  only  one  steamer 
every  two  months  between  Jaluit  and  German 
New  Guinea. 

Of  German  South-west  Africa  there  are 
two  distinct  issues.  The  name  of  the  colony 
in  the  first  reads  "  Deutsch  Sud-west-Afrika," 
in  the  second  "  Deutsch  Sudwestafrica."  Of 
the  former — 1897 — only  the  3,  5,  10  and  20 
pf.  were  ever  issued  in  that  colony.  There 
was  no  use  for  a  stamp  of  25  pf.  and  a  50  pf. 
postage  stamp  was  only  ordered  after  the 
second  issue  was  circulated.  The  second 
issue  was  prepared  in  the  fall  of  1898.  The 
first  values  to  appear  with  the  second  line  of 
the  inscription  in  one  word  were  the  10  and 
50  pf.,  in  October,  1898  and  the  28  pf.  on 
December  7th.  No  25  pf.  postage  stamp  has 
ever  been  introduced  into  the  colony  and  the 
3  and  5  pf.  postage  stamps  have  not  as  yet 
been  issued  to  the  colonies  for  their  is  a 
sufficient  stock  of  the  first  issue  on  hand. 
Full  sets  of  the  second  issue  were  obtained 
from  the  Berlin  Colonial  office  and  cannot 
come  from  the  colony  ;  yet  some  German 
catalogues  quote  this  set  new  or  used." 

U.S.   Periodical   Remainders. 

Mr.  John  N.  Luff,  in  his  very  exhaustive 
series  of  articles  on  "  The  Postage  Stamps 
of  the  United  States  "  tells  the  story  of  the 
Periodical  Remainders  and  Reprints.  He 
writes  : 

"  This  issue  is  largely  due  to  the  efforts  of 
one  or  two  short-sighted  dealers  who,  valuing 
a  present  small  profit  more  than  the  future 
good  of  philately,  persuaded  our  post  office 
officials  to  make  the  issue  as  a  source  of 
revenue.  That  the  result  has  been  a 
disappointment  to  collectors  and  an  injury  to 
philately  there  can  be  no  doubt,  and  stamp 
peddling  is  not  an  expedient  which  is 
commendable  in  any  government,  least  of 
all  in  a  great  and  wealthy  one.  To  add  to 
the  unpleasant  features  of  the  case,  the  re- 
prints were  not  placed  on  the  market  as  such 
but  under  the  pretence  that  they  were 
remainders. 

When  it  was  proposed  to  sell  to  the  public, 
at  a  nominal  price  50,000  sets  of  remainders 


of  this  issue,  it  was  found  that  there  was  not 
on  hand  a  sufficient  quantity  of  five  of  the 
values,  so  reprints  were  made  to  supply  the 
deficiency.  The  five  values  were  the  5,  10, 
20,  50  and  100  dollars.  The  reprinting  was 
done  in  February,  1899,  from  plates  137,  138, 
139,  135  and  140.  The  quantities  were  : 
Remainders.  Reprints. 

5  dollars  155  49.845 

10  dollars  11,640  38,360 

20  dollars  8,780  41,220 

50  dollars  16,245  33-755 

100  dollars  7)685  42>3I5 

It  is  said  that  eventually  5,000  originals  of 
each  of  the  four  higher  values  were  used  and 
45,000  reprints. 

The   reprints   are   on    the   regular   paper, 
watermarked  U.S. P. S.     They  have  a  smooth 
white  gum,  while  the  gum  of  the  originals  is 
yellowish.     The  colours  lack  depth  and  rich- 
ness and  look  cold  and  thin.     They  are  : 
5  dollars  slate-blue. 
10  dollars  grey-green. 
20  dollars  lilac-grey. 
50  dollars  brownish-rose. 
100  dollars  bluish-purple. 

A  "  Stamp  Hunter's  "  haul 
of  U.S.   Periodicals. 

The  following  "  stamp  hunter's  "  story  is 
from  Stamp  Talk,  U.S. — "I  haven't  much 
to  report  anyway  this  time,  except  a  little 
story  on  the  Government  that  came  nearly 
to  getting  me  into  serious  trouble.  You 
know  the  use  of  Newspaper  stamps,  as 
vouchers  for  newspaper  postage,  has  been 
abolished.  Well  the  Government  called  in 
all  the  remainders  and  were  to  destroy  them, 
but  several  of  the  leading  stamp  dealers 
petitioned  the  department  to  sell  them  to 
stamp  cranks  at  a  nominal  sum.  The 
Attorney  General  passed  down  an  opinion 
that  they  could  be  sold  at  any  price  they 
cared  to  make  on  them  and  the  Post  Office 
Department  finally  decided  to  offer  for  sale 
50,000  sets  at  $5.00  a  set,  and  at  the  end 
of  the  year  if  there  were  any  remaining, 
destroy  them  with  all  the  plates  and  dies. 
These  stamps  run  from  ic.  to  $100 — ic, 
2c,  5c,  ioc,  25c,  50c,  $2.00,  $5.00,  $10.00, 
$20.00,  $50.00  $100 — twelve  stamps  of  a 
total  face  value  of  $187.93. 

"  I  have  a  stamp-collecting  friend  over  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State  who  wanted 
these  stamps  and  requested  his  Postmaster 
to  send  and  get  him  a  set.  He  planked  up 
his  $5.00  and  the  Washington  authorities 
wrote  on  for  ioc.  more  for  registration  fee 
and  postage,  which  was  forwarded.  In  due 
course  of  time  my  friend  called  for  his 
stamps  and  was  given,  by  the  Postmaster, 
a  big  parcel  what  the  department  had  sent 
for  his  $5.00. 

"  I  came  along  the  next  day,  and  my 
friend  gave  me  the  whole  bunch,  with  the 
request  to  sell  them  and  divide  with  him. 
If  I  had  thought  twice  I  wouldn't  have 
taken  them,  but  I  jumped  to  the  conclusion 
at   once   that   the    Department   knew  what 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


155 


they  were  doing,  and  I  took  them  and  left 
town  with  ninety-eight  sets  of  these  stamps 
a  face  value  of  $18,314.14.  In  other  words 
my  friend  kept  two  sets  and  gave  me  the 
balance.  The  authorities  sent  him  one 
hundred  sets  instead  of  one  for  his  money. 

"  I  immediately  sent  them  out,  or  most 
of  them,  around  the  country  to  my  stamp 
customers,  but  I  hadn't  more  than  done  so 
when  the  mistake  was  discovered  and  they 
were  after  me,  and  the  Assistant  Post- 
master himself  caught  me  in  Quincy.  Just 
as  soon  as  I  found  that  he  was  to  be  held  for 
them  I  assured  him,  of  course,  that  he 
would  get  them  all  back  or  their  equivalent. 
But  either  he  wasn't  satisfied  or  for  some 
other  reason  I  was  nabbed  in  Kansas  City, 
by  an  Inspector,  and  asked  to  turn  over  the 
stamps,  which  I  refused  to  do,  but  agreed 
to  make  it  good  to  my  friend  from  whom  I 
had  received  the  stamps.  That  evening 
there  came  trooping  up  to  my  hotel,  the 
Chief  Inspector,  his  Assistant,  and  the 
United  States  Marshall,  with  a  writ  of 
replevin  and  a  summons  that  Wm.  McKinley, 
President  of  the  United  States,  commanded 
my  appearance  in  the  United  States  Federal 
Court,   for    wrongfully   and   illegally  taking 

away  from  the P.  O.,  ninety-nine  sets 

of  Newspaper  stamps  to  the  value  of 
$495.00,  etc.  They  didn't  get  any  of  them, 
however,  but  as  I  tell  you,  Doc,  I  had  felt 
before,  it  wasn't  exactly  right  to  keep  the 
stamps,  and  have  made  it  good  to  the 
satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

"  I  admit  right  here  I  was  hasty  in  taking 
them  in  the  first  place  and  should  not  have 
done  so.  But  I  felt  this  way,  perhaps  the 
Government  are  going  to  sell  these  stamps 
at  any  old  price  ;  they  represent  nothing  of 
value  to  the  Government  :  they  are  not 
redeemable  :  they  are,  in  fact,  only  worth- 
less bits  of  paper,  and  it  is  still  a  question 
before  the  law  if  I  could  be  held  liable  for 
the  fictitious  value  placed  on  them  by  the 
United  States  authorities,  with  the  circum- 
stances under  which  they  came  into  my 
possession." 


Recent  Philippine  Surcharges. 

Madrid  Filatelico  presents  in  its  most 
recent  number  a  reproduction  of  an  entire 
sheet  of  surcharges  of  the  1897  issue  which 
is  indeed  wonderfully  and  tearfully  made. 
The  sheet  is  composed  of  the  25c.  brown 
stamps  of  the  1890  issue,  which  were  sur- 
charged with  various  values  in  1897.  This 
particular  sheet  shows  a  number  of  inverted 
surcharges,  the  varieties  being  mixed  on 
every  line.  The  sheet  is  composed  of  the 
following  : 

58  stamps  with  surcharge  20  centavos. 

12         ,,         ,,  ,,         20         ,,    inverted. 

10         „         „  „         15 

10         ,,         „  „  5 

10         ,,         ,,     telegraph  surcharge. 

The  American  Journal  of  Philately 
surmises  that  this  sheet  is  in  the  nature 
of  a  trial.  Let  us  hope  it  may  prove  to  be 
so  and  that  the  trial  has  been  confined  to  one 
sheet. 

British  Guiana. 

Mr.  B.  O.  Smith,  an  employee  of  the 
Post  Office,  has  sent  the  American  Journal 
of  Philately  a  number  of  varieties  of  the 
recent  surcharges — 2c.  on  10c.  and  2c.  on 
15c,  indicating  the  quantities  issued  of  each 
kind. 

No.  issued. 
2c.  on  ioc,  inverted  surcharge,  60 

Small  "  e  "  in  "  cents,"  500 

No  period  and  narrower  "  c  "  in 

"cents,"  1,600 

"gents,"   instead   of    "cents," 

no  period  after  "  cents,"  500 

2C  on  15c,  comma  between  "t"  and 

"  s  "  in  "  cents,"  2,000 

Dash  between  "2"  and  "cents,"  2,000 
Comma  between  "n"  and  "t" 

of  "  cents,"  1,800 

Double  surcharge,  50 

No  period  after  "cents,"  2,100 


156 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


Jamaica   and    Imperial 
Penny    Postage. 

Jamaica  has  decided  to  join  in  the  Imperial 
Penny  Postage  arrangements,  and  will 
become  a  member  of  the  union  on  the 
Queen's  birthday.  The  new  stamps  will 
bear  a  view  of  Jamaican  scenery.  It  is 
estimated  that  there  will  be  a  loss  for  the 
first  year  of  about  £1,500. 

Jamaica  has  held  off  for  a  good  while,  and 
even  when  giving  in  she  cannot,  if  report 
speaks  truly,  resist  the  opportunity  to  make 
a  little  out  of  the  business.  Apparently  the 
loss  is  to  be  collected,  as  usual,  from  the 
Stamp  Collector. 

Australian    Federation. 

Discussing  the  question  of  Australian 
Federation,  Mr.  A.  F.  Bassett  Hull  writes  : 
Of  course  the  influence  of  Federation  on 
Philately  will  be  far-reaching  indeed  ;  the 
separate  issues  of  the  six  Colonies  of  New 
South  Wales,  Victoria,  Queensland,  South 
Australia,  Tasmania,  and  Western  Australia 
will  give  way  to  a  uniform  series  for  the 
whole  Commonwealth,  and  a  convenient 
stopping  place  will  be  provided  for  specialists 
who  wish  to  limit  their  sphere  of  collecting. 

Stamps  for  Decoration. 

According  to  the  British  Realm  a  lady 
philatelist  boasts  of  a  bedroom  suite  which  is 
entirely  covered  by  stamps.  They  are 
secured  to  the  various  articles  by  the  aid  of 
glue,  and  then  covered  with  thick  varnish. 
They  can  be  washed  in  their  present  con- 
dition, without  injury.  The  beginning  of 
this  strange  collection,  numbering  nearly 
two  million,  dates  back  many  years. 


Postal    Union    Statistics. 

From  the  headquarters  of  the  Universal 
Postal  Union  come  the  1896-97  statistics  of 
the  postal  services  of  the  various  countries 
comprised  in  the  Union.  The  following 
interesting  comparisons  have  been  made  : — 

The  largest  numbers  of  post  offices  in  the 
various  countries  : — 


I. 

2. 

3- 

United  States 
Germany  . . 
Great  Britain 

72,278 
41,028 
21,202 

4- 
5- 
6. 

India 

Canada 

France 

11,989 

9.371 
9,066 

The 

largest   numbers    of 

letter-boxes    in 

use : — 

1. 

2. 
3- 
4- 
5- 
6. 

7- 

United  States 

Germany  . . 

France 

Great  Britain 

Japan 

Italy 

India 

•        139.435 

108,897 
67,684 

51.595 
40,984 
40,096 
20,990 

The 
various 

greatest  lengths  (in  kilometres)  of  the 
"  postal  lines  "  : — 

1. 

United  States 

752,360 

2. 
3- 

4- 

Russia       . .              . 

India 

Germany  . . 

254,968 
198,529 
153.285 

Miscellaneous. 

His  Honour  Judge  Philbrick,  q.c,  has 
been  re-elected  to  "  Grand  Office"  in  that 
cabalistically-named  masonic  brotherhood, 
"the  Order  of  the  Secret  Monitor." 

Herr  Lindenberg  has  now  definitively 
retired  from  the  post  of  Director  of  the 
Postal  Museum  of  Berlin.  His  successor, 
according  to  the  Deutsche  Briefmarken 
Zeitung,  will  be  Herr  Piischel. 


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The   Philatelic  Record 

AND    STAMP     NEWS. 


AUGUST,     1899. 


Editorial    Notes, 


THE  Manchester  Exhibition  which  was   opened    on  the   29th  June 
and   closed   on   the   5th   July   last    has    been    pronounced   on   all 
hands  to  be  a  thorough  success  from  every  point  of  view,  excepting 
only,  perhaps,  the  financial.     In  the  financial  part  of  the  scheme 
the  Committee  was  heavily  handicapped  in  not  being  able  to 
Manchester     admit  stall  holders  for  the  sale  of  stamps.     However,  it  is 
Exhibition,     to  be  hoped  that  despite  the  serious  loss  of  such  a  source  of 
revenue,    the  financial   loss   on    the    Exhibition  will   not   be 
a    serious   one,    for   from    all   other   aspects   it   not   only   deserved   but   it 
secured  the  most  unquestioned  success.     In  every  possible  way  it  was  well 
arranged  and  well  conducted.     The  promoters  started  out  with  the  hope 
that    Manchester  would  be  able    to    make    a   good    second   to    the   great 
London    Exhibition    of    1897.      In   the   opinion    of  the    most    competent 
judges    it    was    quite   equal  if  not   superior   to    the    London  show.      As 
in  the  London,  so  in  Manchester  there  was   a  plethora  of  medals,  such  a 
plethora  as  to  materially  reduce  the  value  of  most  if  not  all,  but  the  one 
medal  given  to  the  one  best  Exhibitor  as  the  blue  ribbon  of  the  gathering. 

©  ©  © 

Major  Evans  in  the  Monthly  Journal  confesses  his  inability  to 

The  Fate  of       say  whether  the  S.S.S.S.  is  dead  or  only  sleeping.    Perhaps 

the  S.S.S.S.        it  will  be  most  charitable  to  all  concerned  to  say   that  it  is 

dormant.       Let  us    label  it  so,  and  encourage  the  fiction 

that  it  is  a  slumbering  volcano  which  on  the  slightest  provocation  may 

break  out  with  renewed  vigour  and  start  swearing  soundly  once  more  at 

offending  governments.     As  there  is  very  little  to  swear  at  just  now  the 

S.S.S.S.  and  all  that  it  represented  as  a  revolt   against  official  swindling, 

may   very  well  take  a  rest  and  cease  from  troubling.     It  has  served   its 

purpose    for    the    time    being.         It    has    convinced    certain    governments 

that  Stamp  Collectors  are  not  such  tame  fools   as   they   are   sometimes 

represented  to  be,  and  that  they  can  kick  and  bite  and  scratch  as  well  as 

other  members  of  the  body  politic  once  they  are  roused.     They  don't  want 

to  fight,  but,  by  Jingo  !  if  they  do,  etc. 


1 58 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


For   a   considerable   time  Stamp    Collectors  in   India 

Duty  on  have   been   agitating  for  a   removal   of  the  Customs 

Postage  Stamps.  Duty,  levied  by  the   Indian  Government    on  Postage 

stamps  passing  between  collectors  and  dealers. 

The    Indian    Government    has    now  replied    to   a   memorial    that    it 

"  Sees  no  sufficient  reason  for  granting  the  exemption  applied  for." 

Here,  again,  we  have  another  proof  of  the  need  of  more  cohesion 
amongst  Stamp  Collectors.  If  we  had  a  real  live  Philatelic  Society  that 
would  take  up  these  matters  at  home,  much  might  be  done  to  protect  the 
interests  of  philatelists. 

Meanwhile,  as  the  memorialists  pointed  out  in  their  memorial,  the 
duty  may,  and,  we  will  add  should,  be  evaded  by  sending  books  and  sheets 
of  stamps  under  ordinary  registered  cover. 

0  0  0 

On  another  page  we  quote  some  very  pertinent  words  from 

Rarity  and     Major  Evans  on  the  question  of  rarity  as  effecting  the  market 

Prices.        price  of  a  stamp.     There  are  numbers  of  collectors  to  whom 

Major  Evans  explanation  will  be  useful.     The  average  tyro 

cannot   imagine    why   a    stamp   of  which    many   are  known  should   fetch 

enormous  prices  whilst  a  very  much  rarer  stamp  from  the  point  of  scarcity 

should  be  almost  unsaleable.     Our  old  friend  fashion  steps  in  and  settles 

the  matter. 

But  after  all  has  been  said  Major  Evans  will,  we  imagine,  admit  that 
there  are  many  discrepancies  between  rarity  and  value  that  are  attributable 
to  other  causes  than  fashion.  We  have  often  known  a  certain  stamp  of  a 
country  priced  and  boomed  under  the  impression  that  it  was  the  scarcest 
and  therefore  the  rarest  of  a  series  of  that  country  where  in  reality  it  was 
the  common  variety.     The  specialist  sees  much  of  this  sort  of  thing. 


Our  Trade  with  India.  159 


Our  Trade    with  India. 


THE  following  letter  from  Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co.,  speaks  for 
itself.  It  discloses  a  serious  condition  of  matters  as  affecting  a 
branch  of  our  trade  with  India.  If  all  our  trade  with  India  were 
subject  to  such  vexatious  barriers,  we  fear  matters  would  assume 
a  serious  aspect.  Dealers  should  make  a  joint  representation  and  lay  the 
facts  before  the  Secretary  of  State  for  India.  We  can  suggest  no  other 
remedy,  for  the  collectors  of  India  seem  to  be  able  to  make  no  impression 
on  the  Indian  Government.  We  have  never  heard  of  a  more  scandalous 
threat  than  that  mentioned  in  the  letter,  that  the  postal  authorities 
would  stop  all  delivery  of  letters  till  the  duty  on  a  certain  letter  was  paid. 
The  postal  arrangements  of  India  must  be  on  the  most  curious  basis  if  the 
authorities  possess  the  power  to  carry  out  any  such  outrageous  threat. 

Sir, — A  great  deal  has  been  written  on  the  subject  of  approval  consignments 
of  stamps  sent  to  India  by  post  being  charged  customs  duty  on  the  full  value,  but 
we  venture  to  think  our  experience  in  one  particular  case  puts  in  the  shade  any- 
thing else  yet  recorded. 

On  October  27th,  1898,  we  sent  a  small  book  of  stamps,  value  £22  12s.  8d.,  by 
registered  letter  addressed  to  a  collector  in  India.  The  letter  was  opened  in  India 
by  the  customs  officers,  and  our  customer  was  informed  he  could  have  it  on  pay- 
ment of  17  rupees  (£1  2s.  8d.)  for  duty. 

He  declined  to  pay  unless  he  could  first  see  the  contents  of  the  letter,  where- 
upon he  was  told  that  he  would  have  to  sign  the  receipt  for  the  letter  before  he 
could  be  allowed  to  inspect  its  contents.  This  he  did,  and  after  examination, 
finding  he  would  not  be  likely  to  buy  enough  to  justify  payment  of  duty  on  all,  he 
refused  to  pay,  and  handed  the  letter  and  contents  intact  back  to  the  postman. 

As  our  confreres  in  India  have  failed  to  get  any  rational  adjustment  of 
this  old  grievance  of  Government  checks  upon  our  trade  with  India  in 
postage  stamps,  it  becomes  a  question  whether  English  collectors  and 
dealers  here  should  not  put  their  heads  together  and  combine  to  get  up  a 
joint  deputation  to  the  Secretary  for  India.  We  feel  sure  that  if  the  facts 
were  properly  placed  before  the  Home  Authorities  some  good  results 
would  accrue.  It  only  wants  some  public  spirited  individual  to  see 
the  business  through. 


^r^> 


i6o 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Manchester  Philatelic  Exhibition, 

1899. 


THE  Manchester  Philatelic  Exhibition  was  opened  on  the  29th  June 
and  closed  on  the  5th  July,  1899.  And  it  has  been  a  grand 
success.  The  Exhibition  was  held  in  the  Art  Gallery,  situated  in 
the  centre  of  the  City  of  Manchester. 
Mr.  Henniker  Heaton,  m.p.,  of  Imperial  Penny  Postage,  fame, 
performed  the  opening  ceremony,  and  delivered  a  philatelic  speech,  in 
which  he  dilated  upon  ;  1,  the  most  valuable  collection  in  the  world,  which  he 
allotted  to  Herr  von  Ferrary,  and  valued  at  ^250,000  to  ^"300,000  ;  2,  the 
greatest  number  of  stamps  collected,  setting  down  a  fairly  large  collection 
at  from  50,000  to  80,000  stamps  ;  3,  the  decoration  of  walls  with  stamps 
a  la  Mr.  Whitfield  King  ;  4,  the  highest  price  paid  for  a  stamp,  which  fell 
to  the  10  cents  United  States  Postmaster  stamp  issued  in  Baltimore,  of 
which  only  one  specimen  was  known  and  which  was  sold  by  a  Parisian 
dealer  two  years  ago  for  ^"910  ;  5,  the  greatest  price  paid  for  a  collection, 
which  he  credited  to  Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd.,  for  the  purchase  of  the  Mr.  M. 
P.  Castle's  Australians  at  ^"10,000  ;  6,  the  largest  stock  of  stamps  held  by  a 
dealer,  a  strangely  curious  item  upon  which  to  hasard  an  opinion,  but  which, 
taking  Stanley  Gibbons  own  figures,  he  credited  to  them  at  £^90,000  ;  7,  the 
best  known  forgeries,  the  first  four  issues  of  Spain,  the  Moldavia  Circulars 
and  the  Swiss  Cantonals  ;  8,  finds  of  old  stamps,  i.e.,  British  Guiana, 
Moldavias  and  St.  Louis  ;  9,  the  highest  face  value  ot  a  stamp,  i.e., 
Australians  at  ^"100  ;  and  10,  the  smallest  value  of  a  stamp  printed,  i.e., 
Spanish  Colonials  of  \  mil  de  peso,  equal  to  the  fortieth  part  of  a  penny, 
and  then  he  finished  up  with  a  few  chestnuts,  evidently  supplied  to  order, 
in  the  shape  of  anecdotes. 

A  Dinner  to  the  Judges  on  the  1st  July  was  a  pleasant  function. 
Mr.  W.  Doming  Beckton,  the  tireless  originator  and  promoter  of  the 
Exhibition,  presided,  and  all  concerned  toasted  each  other  with  the  good 
humour  that  is  begotten  of  success.  Mr.  Gibson,  the  energetic  Secretary, 
set  the  tables  in  a  roar  when  he  informed  them  that  the  Commissioners  of 
Inland  Revenue  had  sent  in  forms  to  be  filled  up  showing  the  salaries  and 
profits  of  the  Exhibition. 

Another  pleasant  gathering  was  the  Conversazione  at  the  City  Art 
Galleries  on  the  4th  July.  The  company  present  included  the  Lord  Mayor 
and  Lady  Mayoress,  and  many  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Manchester. 

LIST    OF    AWARDS. 


Postal  Adhesive  Stamps  of  Great  Britain, 
unused  only. 

Gold  Medal        ..     Harold  J.  White. 
Silver  Medal      ..     W.  T.  Willett. 
Bronze  Medal    . .     Edgar  H.  Selby. 

Great  Britain  Adhesives,  unused,  single 
specimen  collection. 

No    Competition. 

Used  Postal  Adhesives  of  Great  Britain. 


Silver  Medal 
Bronze  Medal 


J.  E.  Heginbottom. 
Wm.    Brown  and  S.  C. 
Skipton. 


For  special  collections  of  Postal  Adhesives 
of  British  Empire  (selected  Colonies). 


Gold  Medal 
Silver  Medal 


Silver  Medal 


Gold  Medal 
Silver  Medal 
Silver  Medal 


Baron  A.  de  Worms,  for 
Ceylon. 

Harvey  R.  G.  Clarke,  for 
New  South  Wales. 

H.  J.  Duveen,  for  British 
Guiana. 

Vernon  Roberts,  for  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 

H.  J.  Duveen,  for  New- 
foundland. 

C.  Stewart  Wilson,  for 
India. 


List  of  Awards. 


161 


Bronze  Medal  . . 
Silver  Medal 

Silver  Medal 
Bronze  Medal    . . 

Silver  Medal 

Bronze  Medal    . . 

Bronze  Medal  . . 
Silver  Medal 

Bronze  Medal  . . 
Bronze  Medal  . . 
Ext.  Bron.  Medal 


F.  Ransom,  for  Trinidad. 

Edgar     H.     Selby,     for 

Barbados. 
W.  T.  Willett,  for  Nevis. 

H.    M.    Hepworth,    for 

Barbados. 
Leslie  L.  R.   Hausberg, 

for  Grenada. 
J.     W.     Mercer,     for 

Grenada. 
J.  C.  North,  for  Cyprus. 

Leslie  L.  R.  Hausberg, 
for  Jamaica  and  Hong 
Kong. 

Vernon  Roberts,for  Gam- 
bia and  Gold  Coast. 

Baron  A.  de  Worms,  for 
Lagos  &  Sierra  Leone. 

G.  Fred  H.  Gibson,  for 
Gibraltar  and  Malta. 


For  Special 

Gold  Medal 
Silver  Medal 
Silver  Medal 

Bronze  Medal 
Ext.  Bron.  Me 
Gold  Medal 
Silver  Medal 
Silver  Medal 

Silver  Medal 

Bronze  Medal 
Silver  Medal 
Silver  Medal 
Bronze  Medal 


Collections  of  European 
Countries. 

W.     Grunewald,     for 
France  and  Monaco. 

W.  B.  Avery,  for  Switzer- 
land. 

W.  Doming  Beckton,  for 
Roumaniawith  Moldo- 
Wallachia 

L.  Einstein,  for  Switzer- 
land, 
dal     Lieut.  Georges  Dumont, 
for  France  and  Spain. 

Ernest  Petri,  for  Modena 
and  Tuscany. 

Oswald  Gillett,  for 
Modena  and  Tuscany. 

J.  H.  Abbott,  for  Servia, 
Bulgaria,  Southern 
Bulgaria  and  Eastern 
Roumelia. 

Herbert  R.  Oldfield,  for 
Servia,  Bulgaria  and 
Montenegro. 

G.    B.    Duerst,    for 
Roumania. 

Hubert     Buckley,     for 
Norway. 

J.    N.    Marsden,     for 
Portugal. 

A.    H.     Harrison,    for 
Norway. 


For  Special  Collections  of  Asia  &  Africa. 

Gold  Medal        . .     T.  Wickham  Jones,  for 
Japan. 

Silver  Medal      ..     Major  Hancock,  for  Af- 
ghanistan. 

Ext.  Silver  Medal     C.  F.  Larmour,  for  Por- 
tuguese Indies. 

Ext.  Silver  Medal    BaronA.deReuterskiold, 
for  Philippine  Islands. 

Ext.  Bron.  Medal     Hyman     Marks,    for 
Transvaal. 


Silver  Medal 
Bronze  Medal 

For  Special 

Gold  Medal 

Silver  Medal 
Silver  Medal 
Bronze  Medal 

Gold  Medal 

Silver  Medal 

Silver  Medal 

Bronze  Medal 
Bronze  Medal    , 


J.N.  Marsden,  for  Azores 
and  Madeira. 
.     J.  H.  Abbott,  for  Egypt 
and  Suez  Canal. 

Collections  of  America. 

.     Herbert  R.  Oldfield.  for 
Columbian      Republic 
and  States. 
R.  Fretzel,  for  Mexico. 
W.T.Wilson,  forMexico. 
Evan    T.    Roberts,     for 
Brazil. 
, .     Stanley    M.    Castle,   for 

United  States. 
, .     W.  B.  Avery,  for  Con- 
federate States. 
..     T.W.Hall,  for  Argentine 
Confederation  and  Re- 
public. 
Edw.    S.    Davidson,    for 
Cuba  and  Porto  Rico. 
.     T.    W.    Hall,    for    Cor- 
rientes   and    Cordova, 
Curacao  and  Surinam. 


For  any  three  Countries  in  Europe. 


Bronze  Medal    ..     F.    A. 


.  a.  von  Sobbe,  for 
Greece,  Germany  and 
Italy. 

Any  three  Countries  in  Asia  or  Africa. 

Bronze  Medal  . .  F.  J.  Beazley,  for  Gam- 
bia, Gold  Coast  and 
Sierra  Leone. 

Any  three  British  Colonies  (Australia, 
with  America  or  Asia). 

Bronze  Medal  ..  J.  E.  Heginbotton,  for 
Ceylon,  Queensland 
and  Victoria. 

Any  three  British  Possessions  in  Europe, 
Africa  or  West  Indies. 


Bronze  Medal 


J.  E.  Heginbottom,  for 
Barbados,  St.  Vincent 
and  St.  Lucia. 


Any  three  Countries  in  America  (not  in 
A,  B,  C  or  D.) 

Bronze  Medal    . .     D.  M.  de  Heer,  for  Peru, 
Argentine  and  Curacao. 

For  Collections  of  Bare  Stamps. 

Not  less  than  75  nor  more  than  100. 
Gold  Medal        ..     Vernon  Roberts 
Silver  Medal       . .     Lachlan  Gibb 
Extra  Sil.  Med.  . .     Prince  Doria  Pamphily 
Extra  Sil.  Med.. .     Ph.  Kosack 
Extra  Sil.  Med...     A.  S.  Tomson. 

Not  more  than  50  stamps — No  stamp  cat- 
alogued at  more  than  £2. 

Silver  Medal      ..     J.H.Abbott. 
Bronze  Medal   . .     F.  W.  Lake, 


l62 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


For  Entire  General  Collections,  with   or 
without  Postcards,  etc. 

No  limit  as  to  number. 

Gold  Medal        . .     A.  H.  Jefferis. 
Silver  Medal      . .     D.  S.  Garson. 

Total  number  not  to  exceed  10,000. 

Silver  Medal       . .     Franz  Reichenheim. 
Bronze  Medal    . .     Lawrence  M.  Harris. 

Not  to  exceed  5000. 

Bronze  Medal    ..     C.  H.  Coote. 
Bronze  Medal    ..     C.  S.  Milnef. 

Collection  of  British  Railway  Stamps. 

Bronze  Medal    ..     C.  F.  Dendy  Marshall. 

Special  Collections  of  a  single  Country. 

Silver  Medal      ..      H.  R.  Oldfield. 
Bronze  Medal    ..     W.    B.    Thornhill,     for 
Shanghai. 

Special  Collections  of  any  three  British 
Colonies  (all  obsolete  Stamps.) 

No  Competition. 

Special  Group  Collections. 

Silver  Medal      ..     W.  Doming  Beckton,  for 

West  Indies. 
Ext.  Silver  Medal     Mrs.  Hetley, for  Australia 

For  Collections  of  Entire  Envelopes  and 
Wrappers  (Selected  Countries.) 

Silver  Medal  . .  Oliver  Firth, for  Registra- 
tion Envelopes  of  Great 
Britain. 

Silver  Medal       . .     Th.  Lemaire. 

Not  less  than  three  Countries  not  in 
Division  1. 

No    Competition. 

For  Collections  of  Entire  Postcards  and 
Letter  Cards. 

Selected  Countries. 

Silver  Medal 


Bronze  Medal 


T.  Ridpath,  for  Belgium, 
Roumania,  Mexico, 
Spain  and  Colonies. 

W.Brown  &  S.C.  Skipton 
for  Mexico  &  Belgium. 


Any  three  Countries  not  in  Division  1. 

Bronze  Medal  . .  J.  L.  Van  Dieten.for  Cey- 
lon, Gibraltar  Turks 
Island,  and  Virgin 
Islands. 

For  Exhibits  by   Stamp   Engravers   and 
Manufacturers. 

Silver  Medal  and  Diploma 

Bradbury,  Wilkinson  &  Co. 
Silver  Medal  and  Diploma 

Compania      Sud     Americana 
de  Billetes  de  Banco. 


For  Philatelic  Literature  and  Works 
Current  Philatelic  Journals  by  Publishes. 

Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Hugo  Krotzsch. 
Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Societe    Francaise    de     Tim- 

brologie. 

Philatelic    Works    Published   since    Oct. 
1890. 

Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Berlin  Philatelisten  Club. 
Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Stanley  Gibbons  Ltd. 
Extra  Bronze  Medal 

Bright  &  Son. 
Extra  Bronze  Medal 

Philatelic  Society  of  India. 
Extra  Bronze  Medal 

Sociedad  Filatelica  Santiago, 

Chili. 

Album  for  a  Special  Collection. 

Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Richard  Dalton. 

Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd. 

Album  for  General  Collection. 

Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

Paul  Kohl. 
Bronze  Medal  and  Diploma 

W.  T.  Wilson. 

For  Philatelic  Accessories  for  use 
by  Collectors. 

Diploma  . .     Army  and  Navy  Co-oper- 

ative Society,  London. 
Diploma  . .      Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd. 

Special  arrangements  of  Stamps,  Proofs, 

Essays,   &c,  &c. 

Bronze  Medal  . .     M.  W.  Jones. 
Bronze  Medal    . .      B.  M.  Warhurst. 

The  extra  medals  mentioned  in  the  above  list 
are  given  at  the  recommendation  of  the  Judges. 

SPECIAL    GOLD     MEDAL, 

Being   the   grand    prize   of   the    Exhibition 
Harold  J.  White,  for  Great  Britain. 


SPECIAL      MEDALS. 


Manchester  Philatelic  Society. — For 
the  best  two  exhibits  in  Class  II.  shown  by 
Philatelists  resident  out  of  the  British  Isles. 

Gold  Medal.  D.  P.  Masson,  for  Cash- 
mere. 

Silver  Medal.  Baron  A.  de  Reuterskiold, 
for  Philippine  Islands. 

Silver  Medal  to  the  Society  whose 
members  figure  most  numerously  in 
the  list  of  Exhibitors. 

London  Philatelic  Society. 


List  of  Awards. 


163 


The  Philatelic  Society,  London. — Gold 
Medal  for  the  finest  Special  Collection  of  any 
one  country,  having  regard  to  the  difficulty  in 
forming  it,  apart  from  the  monetary  value. 

Baron  A.  de  Worms,  for  Ceylon. 

Silver    Medal   for   the   best    Special   or 
General  Collection  shown  by  a  lady. 
Mrs.  Baynes,  for  Greece. 

Philatelic  Society  of  India, — Silver 
Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  Indian  Stamps, 
including  the  surcharged  British  Indian 
Issues  used  in  Native  States. 

C.  Stewart  Wilson. 

Bradford  Philatelic  Society. — One 
Silver  and  one  Bronze  Medal  for  the  best 
two  exhibits  from  residents  in  Yorkshire. 

Silver  Medal.  T.  K.  Skipwith,  for  Sey- 
chelles and  Uganda. 

Bronze  Medal.  Eugene  Egly,  for  50 
Rare  Stamps. 

Herts  Philatelic  Society.  —  Silver 
Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  by  a  member  of 
the  Herts  Philatelic  Society  in  Class  II. 

H.  R.  Oldfield,  for  Columbia. 

Leeds  Philatelic  Society.  —  Silver 
Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  shown  by  a 
member  of  the  Leeds  Philatelic  Society. 

H.  M.  Hepworth,  for  Barbados. 

Liverpool  Philatelic  Society. — One 
Silver  and  one  Bronze  Medal  for  the  best 
exhibits  from  Liverpool  and  District. 

Silver  Medal.  F.  A.  von  Sobbe,  for 
Greece,  Germany  and  Italy. 

Bronze  Medal.  C.  S.  Milner,  for  col- 
lection under  5,000. 

Plymouth  Philatelic  Society. — Silver 
Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  uncatalogued 
varieties  shown  in  Class  II.,  consisting  of 
Stamps  issued  up  to  the  end  of  1896,  and 
not  catalogued  by  Stanley  Gibbons  or  Scott. 

R.  Frentzel. 

Nederlandsche  Vereeniging  Van  Post- 

ZEGELVERZAMELAARS,     AMSTERDAM. — Silver 

Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  by  a   native    of 
Holland. 

H.  M.  de  Heer,  for  50  Rare  Stamps. 

SOCIETE       FRANCAISE      DE       TlMBROLOGIE, 

Paris.— Silver  Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of 
the  Stamps  of  France  or  French  Colonies. 

W.  Grunewald. 

Society  Filatelica  Lombarda,  Milan. 
— Silver  Medal  for  the  most  meritorious 
exhibit  of  Italian  States  in  Class  II. 

E.  Petri,  for  Modena  and  Tuscany. 

Mr.  W.  Dorning  Beckton. — Gold  Medal 
for  the  most  meritorious  exhibit  amongst 
those  which  have  gained  a  Silver  Medal  in 
the  open  competition  in  Class  II. 

H.  J.  Duveen,  for  British  Guiana. 


Silver  Medal  for  the  most  meritorious 
exhibit  amongst  those  which  have 
gained  a  Bronze  Medal  in  the  open 
competition  in  Class  II. 

G.  B.  Duerst,  for  Roumania. 

Mr.  H.  A.  Stamford. — Silver  Medal  for 
the  best  exhibit  shown  by  a  member  of  the 
Bradford  Philatelic  Society. 

Oliver  Firth,  for  Great  Britain  Registra- 
tion Envelopes. 

Mr.  W.  T.  Wilson. — One  Silver  and  one 
Bronze  Medal  for  the  best  two  exhibits 
shown  by  members  of  the  Birmingham 
Philatelic  Society. 

Silver  Medal.  Stanley  M.  Castle,  for 
United  States 

Bronze  Medal.  W.  Hadlow,  for  Queens- 
land. 

Mr.  J.  H.  Abbott. — Silver  Medal  for  the 
best  exhibit  from  Scotland. 

R.  S.  Richardson,  for  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
Newfoundland  and  Canada. 

Silver  Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  from 
Ireland. 

Hugh  Higginson,  for  collection  under 
5,000. 

Mr.  Thomas  Beckton.— Silver  Medal  for 
the  best  exhibit  by  a  member  of  the  Man- 
chester Philatelic  Society  failing  to  obtain  a 
medal  in  the  open  competition. 

John  Cooper,  for  general  collection. 
Silver  Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  in  Class 

II.,  Division  5. 
F.  A.  Von  Sobbe,  for  Greece,  Germany 

and  Italy. 

M.  Jules  Bernichon.— Gold  Medal  for 
the   best   collection    of    French,    tete-beche, 
shown  either  alone  in  Class  III.,  or  forming 
part  of  an  exhibit  of  France  in  Class  II. 
W.  Grunewald. 

Messrs.    Bright    &   Son. — Silver   Medal 
for  the  best  exhibit  of  Holland  in  Class  II. 
No  competition. 

Mr.  William  Brown. — One  Silver  and 
one  Bronze  Medal  for  the  best  two  collections 
of  Stamps  issued  since  i8go,  and  shown  in 
class  IV.,  Division  3. 

Silver  Medal.     C.  S.  Milner. 
Bronze  Medal.     Hugh  Higginson. 

Mr.  George  H.  Callf. — Silver  Medal  for 
the  best  exhibit  of  Sydney  views. 

Harvey  R.  G.  Clarke. 

Mr.  G.  B.  Duerst.  One  Silver  and  one 
Bronze  Medal  for  the  best  two  exhibits  shown 
by  an  exhibitor  resident  within  a  radius  of  20 
miles  of  the  Manchester  Royal  Exchange, 
and  not  a  member  of  the  Manchester  Phila- 
telic Society. 

Silver  Medal.     A.  H.  Jefferies. 
Bronze  Medal.     A.  R.  Stelling  for  gen- 
eral collection. 


164 


The   Philatelic   Record. 


Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons,  Ltd. — One 
Gold  and  one  Silver  Medal  for  the  best  two 
collections  of  Australian  Stamps. 

Gold  Medal.     Harvey  R.  G.  Clarke. 

Silver  Medal.     M.  Z.  Kuttner. 

One  Silver  end  one  Bronze  Medal  for 
the  best  two  collections  shown  by 
youths  under  21  in  Class  IV.,  in  an 
album  of  English  manufacture. 

Silver  Medal.     J.  S.  Higgins,  Junr. 

Bronze  Medal.     A.  R.  Stelling. 

Messrs.  Butler  Bros. — Bronze  Medal  for 
the  best  collection  of  not  less  than  2,000 
varieties  shown  by  a  boy  or  girl  nnder  16 
and  attending  school. 

J.  S.  Higgins,  Junr. 

Mr.  G.  Fred  H.  Gibson. — One  Silver  and 
one  Bronze  Medal  for  the  best  two  exhibits 
in  Class  I.  or  II.,  shown  by  members  of  a 
Provincial  Philatelic  Society  (Manchester 
excluded). 

Silver  Medal.     Baron  A.  de  Worms,  for 

Ceylon. 
Bronze  Medal.     Stanley  M.  Castle,  for 

United  States. 

Mr.  Arthur  H.  Harrison. — Silver  Medal 
for  the  best  collection  of  Sweden,  Norway, 
or  Denmark  and  Iceland,  shown  in  Class  II., 
Division  2,  D,  by  an  exhibitor  resident  in  any 
of  these  countries. 

Hubert  Buckley. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Heginbottom. — Gold  Medal  for 
the  best  exhibit  of  West  Indies. 

W.  Doming  Beckton. 

Silver  Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  in 
Class    IV.,  shown  by  an   exhibitor 


under  21. 
S.  Higgins,  Junr. 


Mr.  D.  Ostara. — Silver  Medal  for  the 
most  meritorious  exhibit  of  Adhesives  on 
entire  shown  in  Class  IV. 

No  competition. 


Mr.  W.  A.  Peckitt. — One  Gold  and  one 
Silver  Medal  for  the  two  most  meritorious 
exhibits,  regard  being  paid  primarily  to  the 
question  of  condition,  in  Class  III. 

Gold  Medal.     Vernon  Roberts. 

Silver  Medal.     Lachlan  Gibb. 

One  Gold  and  one  Silver  Medal  for  the 

two    most    meritorious    exhibits   in 

Class  I. 

Gold  Medal.     H.  J.  White. 
Silver  Medal.     W.  T.  Willett. 

Mr.  Ernest  Petri. —  One  Silver  and  one 
Bronze  Medal  for  the  best  two  exhibits 
shown  by  a  lady  resident  within  a  radius  of 
15  miles  from  the  Manchester  Royal 
Exchange. 

Silver  Medal.     Mrs.  Harrison. 
Bronze  Medal.     Mrs.  Vaudrey. 

Mr.  Vernon   Roberts. — Gold  Medal  for 
the  best  exhibit  shown  in  Class  II.,  Division  1. 
Baron  A.  de  Worms,  for  Ceylon. 

Silver  Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  of  St. 
Lucia.     W.  Pimm. 

Silver  Medal  for  the  best  exhibit  from 
Wales.     J.  R.  Jones. 

Mr.  Adolf  Rosenberg. — Silver  Medal  for 
the  best  exhibit  shown  by  a  German  Resident 
in  Germany. 

L.  Einstein. 

Mr.  Ernst   Stock.  -One   Gold   and  one 

Silver  Medal  for  the  best  two  exhibits  of 
unused  German  States,  regard  being  paid  to 
the  pristine  beauty  of  the  specimens  shown 
as  well  as  to  their  rarity. 

Silver  Medal.     F.  A.  von  Sobbe. 

Messrs. Winch  Bros. — One  Bronze  Medal 
for  the  best  and  most  accurate  Colour  Chart, 
consisting  of  genuine  government  postal 
issues,  with  colours  named — Seebecks,  Re- 
prints, Locals,  and  Forgeries  being  excluded. 

B.  W.  Warhurst. 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


165 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


U.S. 


30c.  orange, 
Imperf. 


1851-6, 


The  30c.  orange  of  the  U.S.,  1851-6  series 
in  an  imperforate  state  has  always  been 
set  down  as  a  proof,  but  the  Post  Office  tells 
us  that  Mr.  Power  on  a  recent  visit  to 
England  obtained  a  used  copy  on  the 
original  cover. 

"  The  letter  is  addressed  to  a  firm  in 
Lyons,  France,  and  is  cancelled  new  york, 
oct.  2,  paid  24  in  a  large  circle,  partly 
covering  the  stamp  with  the  regular  additional 
bar  cancellation  also  partly  covering  the 
stamp  ;  the  receiving  cancellation  on  the 
back  reads  :  lyon  16  oct.  60  in  small  circle. 
There  is  an  additional  small  circular  can- 
cellation on  the  face  of  the  cover  bearing  the 

WOrds  ET.  UNIS  SERV.  BR.  A.  C.  15  OCT.  60.  G. 

The  stamp  itself  is  from  the  centre  of  the 
sheet  as  the  left  hand  margin  bears  the 
dividing  line  as  well  as  part  of  the  adjoining 
stamp  ;  the  margin  on  the  right  is  so  large 
that  it  is  not  possible  that  the  perforations 
can  have  been  clipped  ;  the  margin  is  good 
at  the  bottom,  but  the  stamp  has  been  cut 
close  at  the  top.  The  cover  has  been  sub- 
mitted by  us  to  such  excellent  judges  of 
United  States  stamps  as  H.  G.  Mandel, 
John  N.  Luff  and  Henry  Caiman,  all  of 
whom  pronounce  it  as  unquestionably 
genuine,  and  exceedingly  valuable  as  settling 
the  contention  in  regard  to  this  stamp. 

The  color  of  the  stamp  also  differs 
materially  from  that  of  the  perforated  30 
cent  stamp,  as  well  as  from  that  of  the 
proofs.  The  catalogue  date  1851-56,  should 
however  be  changed,  as  no  30  cent  stamps 
were  issued  to  the  public  before  i860.  In 
this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  remind  our 
readers  of  a  fact  that  has  not  yet  received 
sufficient  publicity,  viz.,  that  30  cent  stamps 
were  originally  printed  in  black  and  issued 
in  an  imperforate  state  to  the  public. 
Copies  of  this  stamp  30  cent  black  im- 
perforate are  known  to  exist  in  the  collections 
of  at  least  two  well  known  New  York 
collectors." 

Stamps  of  the  Malay  States. 

Mr.  A.  F.  Basset  Hull  contributes  the  fol- 
lowing interesting  note  on  the  Stamps  of  the 
Malay  States  to  the  Monthly  Journal :  "Until 
the  end  of  the  year  1898  the  postage  on  corre- 
spondence from  the  Protected  Native  States 
of  Perak,  Selangor,  Negri  Sembilan,  and 
Pahang,  for  places  beyond  the  colony  could 
only  be  prepaid  by  means  of  stamps  of  the 
Straits  Settlements,  those  States  having 
always  been  treated  in  their  foreign 
postal  relations  as  forming  part  of  that 
colony.  Mr.  P.  J.  Nelson,  Superintendent 
Of  Posts  and  Telegraphs  of  Perak,  acting 
on  behalf  of  the  Federated   Malay   States, 


made  arrangements  with  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments Postal  Department  for  the  labels  of 
the  different  States  to  be  recognised  as  valid 
for  prepayment  of  postage  on  correspondence 
for  all  parts  of  the  World.  The  arrange- 
ments having  been  approved  by  the  imperial 
and  colonial  authorities  and  by  the  Resident- 
General  of  the  Native  States,  was  brought 
into  operation  on  the  1st  January,  1899. 
The  postal  status  of  the  States  remains  in 
other  respects  practically  unchanged.  A 
similar  arrangement  has  been  made  for  the  re- 
cognition of  the  postage  stamps  of  His  High- 
ness the  Sultan  of  Johore.  In  bygone  years 
Straits  postage  labels  were  used  to  prepay  a 
considerable  amount  of  correspondence 
emanating  from  the  Philippine  Islands  and 
the  whole  of  that  from  Siam,  North  Borneo, 
and  Sarawak,  but  henceforth  those  labels 
will  be  used  nowhere  outside  the  colony. 
The  value  of  postage  stamps  for  international 
service  supplied  to  the  different  Malay  States 
during  1898  was  as  follows  :  Perak,  86519; 
Selangor,  85605 ;  Negri  Sembilan,  $1008  ; 
Pahang,  $1011 ;  and  Johore,  $290." 

Postal   Union  Colours. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  last 
Postal  Union  Congress  a  recommendation 
was  agreed  to  that  each  country  should 
print  its  stamps  for  foreign  postage  in  blue, 
for  inland  postage  in  red,  and  for  printed 
matter  in  green,  i.e.  : 

£d.  green. 

id.  red. 

2£d.  blue. 

Mr.  Eustace  B.  Power  has  compiled  a  list 
of  the  various  countries  already  in  line  and 
of  those  that  still  stand  out.  We  quote 
these  interesting  lists  from  the  Post  Office. 

The  following  countries  now  issue  their 
stamps  in  the  regulation  colors. 


Argentine  Rep., 

Bahamas, 

Bavaria, 

Bosnia, 

Br.  Honduras, 

Cape  Good  Hope, 

Cyprus, 

Dominican  Rep., 

Eritrea, 

Gambia, 

Gibraltar, 

Greece, 

Grenada, 

Iceland, 

Japan, 

Leeward  Isles, 

Macao, 

Mexico, 

Morocco  Agencies, 

New  S.  Wales, 

Norway, 


Austria, 

Barbados, 

Bermuda, 

Br.  E.  Africa, 

Bulgaria, 

Cuba  (U.S.), 

Denmark, 

Egypt  and  Soudan, 

Finland, 

Germany  &  Colonies, 

Gold  Coast, 

Hungary, 

Italy, 

Lagos, 

Luxemburg, 

Malta, 

Montenegro, 

Natal, 

Newfoundland, 

Paraguay, 

Philippine  Isles  (U.S.), 


1 66 


The  Philatelic    Record. 


Peru, 

Porto  Rico  (U.S.), 

Russia, 

St.  Vincent, 

Seychelles, 

So.  African  Rep., 

Sweden, 

Turkey, 

United  States, 


Portugal  and  Colonies. 

St.  Helena, 

Servia, 

Sierra  Leone, 

Straits  Settlements, 

Trinidad, 

Turks  Isles, 

Virgin  Isles, 

Wurtemburg, 


West  Australia. 

The  following  countries  have  stamps  in 
issue  whose  colours  do  not  conform  with  the 
plan. 

Belgium,  10  centimes  is  red-brown. 
Bechuanaland  Prot.  on  Great  Britain. 
Brazil,  3oor.  green  and  black. 

5oor.  blue. 
British  Guiana,  2C.  mauve  and  orange. 
Canada,  2c.  violet. 
Ceylon,  6c.  on  15c.  green. 
Chili,  ioc.  orange. 

Columbian  Rep.,  ioc.  bistre  on  rose. 
2C.  green. 

ic  orange  and  yellow. 
Congo,  50c.  green  on  black, 
ioc.  blue  on  black, 
ic.  brown  and  black. 
Corea,  25p.  brown-carmine. 

iop.  deep  blue. 
Costa  Rica,  ioc.  green. 
2C.  yellow. 
Danish  West  Indies,  ioc.  brown  and  blue. 
3c.  blue  and  lake, 
ic.  green  &  magenta. 
Ecuador,  ioc.  brown. 

2c.  vermilion. 
Falkland  Islands,  ip.  red  brown. 
Fernando  Po,  25c.  carmine. 

ioc.  brown. 
Fiji,  2^p.  brown, 
ip.  lilac. 

2*P-  gray- 
France  and  Colonies,  25c.  black  on  rose. 

ioc.  black  on  lavender. 
Great  Britain,  ip.  lilac. 

£p.  vermilion. 
Guatemala,  ioc.  red. 

2C.  brown, 
ic.  blue. 
Hawaii,  5c.  rose. 

ic.  yellow. 
Hayti,  ioc.  orange. 
3c.  green. 
2c.  orange. 
Honduras,  ic.  brown. 
India,  ia.  purple-brown. 
Jamaica,  ip.  lilac  and  violet. 
Labuan,  8c.  rose  and  black. 
3c.  bistre  and  black. 
2C  blue  and  black. 
Liberia,  8c.  brown. 

3c.  red  and  green, 
ic.  violet. 
Mauritius,  18c.  green  and  ultramarine. 
4c.  lilac  and  green. 
2C.  lilac  and  orange. 
Monaco,  25c.  green. 

ioc.  brown  on  yellow. 
5c.  blue. 
Netherlands,  12JC  gray. 


Netherlands,  5c.  blue. 

2^c.  brown-violet. 
Curacao,  25c.  blue. 
Dutch  Indies,  25c.  red-violet. 

2jc.  yellow. 
Surinam,  5c.  blue. 

2Ac.  carmine. 
New  Zealand,  £p.  black. 
Nicaragua,  ioc.  purple. 
2C.  slate, 
ic.  brown. 
North  Borneo,  8c.  lilac  and  black 
3c.  lilac  and  green. 
ic.  brown  and  black. 
Orange  Free  State,  ip.  violet. 

$p.  orange. 
Persia,  12s.  rose. 

5s.  yellow. 
3s.  violet. 
Queensland,  2^p.  violet  on  blue. 

ip.  orange. 
Roumania,  25b.  violet. 
5b.  blue. 
3b.  brown. 
St.  Lucia,  ip.  lilac. 
Salvador,  13c.  brown-red. 

5c.  green. 
San  Marino,  25c.  blue  and  brown, 
ioc.  green. 
5c.  olive. 
Sarawak,  8c.  green. 

3c.  lilac  and  blue, 
ic.  lilac  and  slate. 
Siam,  12a.  lilac  and  carmine. 

4a.  on  12a.  lilac  and  carmine. 
South  Australia,  2^p.  violet-blue. 
Jp.  green. 
£p.  brown. 
Spain,  ioc.  red-brown. 

5c.  ultramarine. 
Switzerland,  25c.  green. 
Tasmania,  2$p.  red-violet. 

Jp.  orange  and  violet. 
Tunis,  25c.  black  on  rose. 

ioc.  black  on  lavender. 
Uruguay,  ioc.  red. 

2C.  violet, 
ic.  blue. 
Venezuela,  25c.  magenta. 
ioc.  blue. 
5c  red-brown. 
Victoria,  2^p.  carmine  on  yellow, 
ip.  orange-brown. 
£p.  rose. 
Zanzibar,  ia.  black,  blue  and  red. 

The   following   countries   issuing    stamps 
have   not   yet   entered    the    Postal     Union, 
according   to  the  latest  report  of  the   Post 
Office  Guide  : 
Abyssinia. 
Afghanistan. 
British  Central  Africa. 
China. 

Cook  Islands. 
New  Hebrides. 
Niger  Coast. 
Rhodesia. 
Samoa. 
Tonga. 
Uganda. 


Philately  Gossip. 


167 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


Australian    Federation. 

The  Australian  Philatelist  for  June  antici- 
pates that  the  first  Federal  Parliament  will 
meet  about  January  1st,  igoi.  Of  the  effect 
upon  the  issue  of  Australian  postage  stamps 
Mr.  Basset  Hull,  the  Editor  says  : 

"  It  is  early  yet  to  indulge  in  anticipations 
as  to  the  probable  design  of  the  Common- 
wealth postage  stamps,  but  it  may  be  taken 
for  granted  that  the  occasion  will  be  con- 
sidered one  calling  for  the  exercise  of  great 
care  and  judgment  not  only  in  the  selection 
of  beautiful  and  effective  designs,  but  in  the 
adoption  of  the  most  advanced  methods  of 
production." 

Then  follows  the  question,  "  What  will 
become  of  the  '  remainders  '  of  the  separate 
Colonial  issues  after  the  momentous  Act  of 
Union  has  come  into  force  ?  " 

The  date  of  the  coming  into  force  of  the 
Act  of  Union  will,  however,  presumably 
be  known  many  months  beforehand,  and  that 
being  so  there  should  not  be  any  overstock- 
ing, and,  therefore,  no  consequent  '  remain- 
ders' left  for  speculation.  If  there  are  large 
stocks  of  '  remainders  '  we  shall  know  that 
some  one  has  blundered — or  worse. 

Mr.  A.  E.  Cousins,   Stamp 
Engraver. 

The  name  of  Mr.  A.  .  Cousins  is  well 
known  as  an  Australian  stamp  engraver,  and 
the  following  biographical  note,  "  from  the 
pen  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Basset  Hull,  in  the  Monthly 
Journal,  will  be  read  with  interest. 

"  Mr.  A.  E.  Cousins,  who  engraved  the 
dies  for  some  of  the  New  Zealand  stamps, 
the  first  two  issues  of  Tonga,  the  current 
Samoans,  Cook  Islands,  &c,  is  now  residing 
in  Sydney,  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  an 
interview  with  him  the  other  day.  Mr. 
Cousins  is  a  comparatively  young  man,  and 
was  for  some  time  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Alfred  Bock,  the  engraver  of  the  Tasmanian 
St.  George  and  Dragon  stamps.  The  firm 
turned  out  the  dies  for  the  first  issue  of 
Tonga  in  1886,  and  Mr.  Cousins  subsequently 
severed  his  connection  with  Mr.  Bock  and 
carried  on  the  engraving  business  on  his 
own  account.  He  engraved  the  dies  for  the 
1 89 1  issue  of  Tonga,  having  been  furnished 
with  a  copy  of  the  arms  of  the  kingdom 
embossed  in  colour  and  a  portrait  of  King 
George  I.  as  designs.     The  framing  was  his 


own  drawing,  and  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  work  is  very  creditable,  the  portrait  being 
excellent,  and  the  whole  stamp  effectively 
produced  and  well  balanced  in  each  case. 

Mr.  Cousins  engraved  the  dies  for  the 
Cook  Islands  stamps  of  1893.  He  produced 
a  single  die  for  the  portrait  of  Queen  Makea, 
and  engraved  the  frame  for  each  value 
separately.  I  saw  a  set  of  his  progress 
proofs  of  this  portrait,  forty-five  in  number, 
showing  the  gradual  growth  of  the  head 
from  a  few  outlines  to  the  completed  picture. 
The  new  issues  are  also  from  bis  bureau. 
The  material  furnished  him  for  making  the 
design  consisted  of  a  large  photograph  of  a 
misty  looking-island  and  a  very  rough  wood- 
cut heading  from  a  local  newspaper,  entitled  : 
"Te  Torea,"and  representing  a  species  of  tern 
flying.  But  one  die  was  engraved  for  this 
series,  the  values  being  produced  by  means 
of  an  overprint  forme  which  prints  the 
denominations  in  figures  in  each  of  the  four 
angles. 

The  New  Zealand  stamps  engraved  by 
Mr.  Cousins  are  £d.  black,  2.|d.  blue  (1891), 
5d.  grey-black  and  the  i£d.  letter  card.  He 
also  recut  some  of  De  La  Rue's  dies  of  the 
1882  issue — the  id.,  2d.,  6d.  and  8d." 

Countries  without  Stamps. 

The  Illustrated  Briefmarken  Journal  gives 
the  following  list  of  Countries  which  have 
not  yet  issued  postage  stamps  : — 

"  Andorra,  a  small  republic  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  Pyrenees  ;  population,  6000. 

Liechenstein,  a  small  principality  in  the 
Tyrol;  population,  9,124. 

Morocco. 

Mnscal,  in  Southern  Arabia. 

British  New  Guinea.'" 

Porto    Rico,    1890, 
8  m.  de  peso. 

According  to  our  American  contempories 
a  promising  postage  stamp  as  concerns  rarity 
is  the  8  mils  de  peso,  bistre,  of  Porto  Rico  of 
i8go.  This  stamp  which  is  quoted  fifty 
cents  in  the  last  edition  of  Scott's  Catalogue 
and  only  about  half  of  that  amount  in 
European  price  lists  has  become  quite  scarce 
within  the  last  few  months.  It  is  reported 
that  only  a  short  time  ago  a  Porto  Rican 
collector  offered  a  stamp  dealer  in  Porto  Rico 


i68 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


400  pesetas  ($80),  for  a  block  of  four  of  these 
stamps,  but  the  merchant  considering  the 
offer  insufficient  kept  his  block. 

Rarity  and  Prices. 

Major  Evans  in  an  editorial  in  the 
Monthly  Journal  discusses  the  question  of 
rarity  as  a  factor  in  determining  the  market 
price  of  a  stamp.     He  writes  : — 

"  One  of  the  latest,  and  not  the  least 
hopeless,  of  the  suggestions  that  we  have 
recently  seen  put  forward  for  ascertaining 
the  proper  prices  for  stamps,  is  that  they 
should  be  fixed  in  accordance  with  the 
numbers  known  to  have  been  issued  of  the 
various  stamps  to  be  compared.  Ascertain 
the  exact  number  printed,  we  are  told,  and 
the  relative  values  can  be  fixed  mechanically. 
But  there  are  a  few  other  circumstances  to 
be  taken  into  account.  In  the  first  place  our 
good  friends  must  remember  that  it  is  not 
supply  alone  that  regulates  prices  in  any 
market;  demand  has  something  to  do  with 
the  matter  also.  We  know  of  more  than 
one  stamp,  as  distinct  and  recognisable 
varieties  as  the  famous  "  Post  Office  " 
Mauritius,  and  twice  as  rare,  but  if  one  of 
them  came  into  the  market  would  it  fetch  a 
thousand  pounds  ?  We  doubt  whether  it 
would  fetch  a  thousand  pence  !  But  in  any 
case  the  numbers  printed  afford  little  guid- 
ance. What  we  want  to  know  is  how 
many  are  in  the  market,  or  in  existence. 
For  instance,  are  we  to  place  those  same 
"  Post  Office"  Mauritius  stamps,  of  which  in 
all  probability  g5  per  cent,  have  disappeared 
absolutely,  past  all  hope  of  recall,  on  the 
same  level  with  some  mushroom  issue  of 
surcharged  fragments  in,  say,  the  Oil  River 
Protectorate,  of  which  95  per  cent,  went 
into  the  hands  of  enthusiastic  philatelists  ? 
Again,  are  we  to  compare  an  issue  of 
100,000  specimens  in  one  of  our  smaller 
colonies  with  an  issue  of  that  number  in 
Great  Britain,  France,  Germany,  or  the 
United  States  ?     In  one  of  these  countries 


100,000  adhesives  of  the  value  of  a  penny, 
or  thereabouts,  would  be  far  less  than  the 
supply  of  a  single  day,  and  the  whole 
number  might  be  swallowed  up  without  a 
single  collector  ever  seeing  one  ;  in  the 
Colonial  Post  Office  the  same  number  would 
last  for  months,  and  every  dealer  would 
have  an  opportunity  of  obtaining  a  supply. 
Statistics  are  of  very  little  practical  use  ;  it 
has  even  happened  that,  in  the  case  of  a 
stamp  which  was  very  difficult  to  obtain,  and 
had  perhaps  ceased  to  be  commonly  sought 
after  for  that  reason,  a  few  copies  coming 
into  the  market  have  actually  caused  a  rise 
in  price,  from  the  stamp  becoming  obtainable 
and  thus  more  marketable." 

Turkey  :    New  Design. 

The  Philatelic  Monthly  &•  World  says  the 
postal  authorities  of  Turkey  recently  opened 
a  competition  for  a  new  design  for  their 
postage  stamps.  Among  the  numerous  pro- 
posals submitted  the  one  designed  by  Nazine 
Effendi,  a  civil  functionary  of  the  Seraskierate 
was  unanimously  selected  and  being  sub- 
mitted to  the  Sultan,  was  equally  approved 
by  him.  The  young,  successful  official  was 
given  a  furlough  from  his  official  duties  in 
the  Ministry  in  order  to  prepare  the  designs 
for  the  new  plates  and  to  superintend  the 
obtaining  of  essays  and  proofs.  The  nature 
of  the  design  has  not  as  yet  been  given  out. 

Miscellaneous. 

The  death  is  announced  of  Mr.  E.  Win- 
zer  of  Dresden.  Mr.  Winzer  was  a  member 
of  the  Dresden  Society,  and  for  some  years 
acted  as  its  librarian.  He  sold  his  collection 
in  1894  to  Messrs.  Stanley  Gibbons  for  about 
£3000. 

Princess  Charles  of  Denmark  is  said  to 
have  a  very  fine  collection  of  postage  stamps 
in  which  she  takes  a  very  keen  interest. 

A  new  edition  of  Scott's  Catalogue  is 
promised  for  October. 


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The   Philatelic  Record 

AND    STAMP    NEWS. 


SEPTEMBER,     1899. 


Editorial    Notes. 


A  GREAT  deal    of  fuss   has   been   made   over   the  so-called   Great 
Barrier  Island  pigeon  service  and  the  consequent  issue  of  postage 
stamps.     There  has  been  much  controversy  as  to  the  genuineness 
of  the  stamps.     But  it  seems  to  us  that  even  granting  the  genuine- 
ness of  the  stamps  they  are  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
Great  Barrier      small  receipts  for  the  private  carriage  of  private  parcels. 
Island  Stamps.     They  are  in  no  sense  postage  stamps.     At  best  they  are 
local  labels.      If  our   London  carrier  companies  were  to 
issue  books  of  labels  for  the  payment  of  carriage  of  small  parcels  instead 
of  allowing  their  van  men  to  collect  payment  in  cash,  their  labels  would  be 
on  a  par  with  those  Great  Barrier  Island  stamps  so  long  as  the  service  is  a 
private  service  with  no  sort  of  connection  or  concession  from  the  Govern- 
ment.    The  service  may  be  excellent  and  absolutely  necessary,  but  so  long 
as  it  has  no  Government  concession  it  can  be  no  other  than  a  private  local 
label.     Besides,  there  is  no  reason  why  each  family  on  the  island  should 
not  have  its  two  or  three  pigeons,  issue  its  own  pigeon  labels,  and  fleece 
stamp  flats  on  its  own  account. 


Poor  little  St.  Helena  is  gradually,  but  very  slowly,  getting  rid 
St.  Helena  of  its  stock  of  remainders.  We  are  officially  informed  that  its 
Eemaiders.    stamp  business  in  remainders  is  averaging  /"ioo  a  month,  and 

they  have  a  final  consignment  now  on  hand  that  will  last  them, 
at  the  same  rate  of  sale,  for  about  a  couple  of  years.  We  must  not,  how- 
ever be  severe  on  the  little  island.  It  is  trying  hard  to  overtake  its  debts. 
Its  liabilities  exceed  its  assets  by  ^2,486,  and  its  hope  of  being  able  to  square 
its  creditors  rests  upon  the  sale  of  a  stock  of  ^"8,800  of  obsolete  postage 
stamps.  Won't  some  soft-hearted  and  wealthy  collector  take  a  few  sheets  ? 
We  are  nervously  anxious  to  see  the  stock  worked  off,  for  if  it  is  not  quickly 
got  rid  of,  the  surcharging  fiend  may  whisper  temptations  into  the  ears  of 
the  authorities,  and  then  we  shall  wish  that  we  had  bought  up  the  whole 
lot. 

O  Q  Q 


170  The  Philatelic  Record. 

It  is  with  no  little  pleasure  that  we  quote  on  another  page  an 

The  End  of     announcement  made  by  the  American  Journal  of  Philately,  that 

Seebecks.       the  Seebeck  contract  is  at  an  end,  and  that  the  executors  or 

assigns  of  the  late  Mr.  Seebeck  do  not  intend  to  enter  into 

any  new  agreement.     How  far  the  decision  of  the  representatives  of  the 

Seebeck   interest   will  affect  the   pettifogging  States  which    have   for   so 

many    years    reaped    the    advantages    of    an    organisation    for    milking 

stamp  collectors  remains  to  be  seen.     Meantime,  it  is  some  consolation  to 

be  able  to  chronicle  the  end  of  the  Seebeck  arrangement. 

©  ©  © 

Once  more  we  have  the  Colour  Problem  before  us  in  the 

The  Colour      shape  of  an  attempt  at  a  solution.     In  our  humble  opinion 

Problem        almost  any  solution  is  better  than  the  ludicrous  differences 

that  occur  and  recur  every  month  in  our  philatelic  journals. 

We  are  all  sinners  alike.    We  are  all  tarred  with  the  same  brush.     We 

none  of  us  stick  even  to  our  own  crude  ideas  on  colour.     We  call  a  shade 

by  one  name  one  day  and  by  quite  another  name  the  next  day,  and  so  the 

farce  goes  on. 

Let  us  turn  over  a  new  leaf  and  agree  to  accept  the  new  Gibbons 
colour  chart  as  a  compromise.  Let  us  follow  as  closely  as  possible  its 
designations,  and  then  we  shall  at  least  get  somewhat  nearer  to  a  clear 
understanding  of  what  we  mean  when  we  name  the  colour  of  a  stamp.  At 
all  events,  for  the  present,  we  will  do  so  in  the  Philatelic  Record. 

^        q        q 

The  Scott  Stamp  and  Coin  Co.  of  New  York,  announces  that 

Sale  of  the     it  will  in  January  next,  offer  the  well  known  collection  of  Mr. 

Hunter        Frederick  William  Hunter,  for  sale  by  public  auction.       Mr. 

Collection.     Hunter  will  be  remembered  as  having  secured   the  2c.  rose, 

British  Guiana  in  the  De  Coppat  sale  for  ^252.      The  Scott 

Co.,  say  the  collection  is  "  the  finest  that  has  ever  been  offered  for   sale  at 

auction." 

The  explanation  of  the  cause  of  the  sale  is  not  without  interest,  and 
may  suggest  a  way  out  of  a  difficult  position  to  one  or  two  of  our  own  very 
eminent  ones.  Mr.  Hunter,  it  seems,  has  not  lost  his  interest  in  stamps, 
but,  having  identified  himself  a  few  years  ago  with  a  stamp  company,  he 
finds  it  impossible  to  reconcile  his  interests  as  a  dealer  with  his  enthu- 
siasm as  a  collector.     Hence  he  has  decided  to  sell  out. 


Uruguay  Varieties.  171 


Uruguay 9    1866-72:    Varieties. 


A  Paper  read  before  the  Philatelic  Society,  London,  on  December  cjth,  i? 
By    ROBERT     EHRENBACH. 

From  the  London  Philatelist. 


THE    so-called   large-figure   issue    of   Uruguay  of    1866-1872,    has 
always  commanded  a  fair  amount  of  interest  amongst  collectors 
on  account  of  the  numerous  shades  to  be  found  in  these  stamps, 
and  also  because  the  5  cent  value  affords  a  decently  large  field  for 
the  specialist  in  the  way  of  varieties,  or,  if  I  may  say  so,  errors.     It  will 
hardly  be  necessary  to  give  a  description  of  the  design,  which  is  familiar 
to  all. 

The  stamps  were  designed  and  printed  by  Messrs.  De  La  Rue  &  Co., 
and  sent  out  by  them  with  a  duplicate  printing  stone  and  a  supply  of  paper. 
Although  one  or  perhaps  two  or  three  printings  were  in  later  years  made 
locally  at  Montevideo,  Messrs.  De  La  Rue  &  Co.  continued  to  print  the 
greater  portion  of  the  supply,  especially  of  the  imperforate  set.  Details 
as  to  these  various  printings  may  be  found  in  the  excellent  book  on 
Uruguay  stamps  by  Dr.  Wonner.  The  series  were  issued  to  the  public  on 
the  1st  of  January,  1866,  and  consisted  of  four  values,  viz.  : — 

5  cent,  blue. 
10      „       green. 
15       ,,       yellow. 
20      ,,       rose. 

To  these  a  fifth  value,  the  1  cent  black,  was  added  on  the  1st  October  of 
the  same  year.  The  stamps  were  issued  imperforate  on  a  rather  hard 
white  paper  of  medium  thickness,  which  does  not  vary  very  much  in  the 
four  lower  values ;  the  20  cent,  however,  exists  likewise  on  a  much  thicker 
paper. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1866,  the  same  stamps  were  issued  to  the 
public  in  a  perforated  state  and  apparently  on  quite  different  paper, 
varying  from  medium  thick  to  thin,  in  the  case  of  the  5  cent  sometimes  so 
thin  that  one  might  call  it  pelure  ;  the  10  and  15  are  likewise  said  to  exist 
on  this  pelure  paper. 

The  perforating  machine  is  a  so-called  guillotine  machine,  gauging  12 
to  13.  The  values  10,  15,  and  20  cents  likewise  exist  perforated  in  a 
larger  gauge,  iox  10^,  and  are  all  rare. 

All  values,  both  in  the  imperforate  and  in  the  perforate  state,  show  a 
good  range  of  shades,  especially  in  the  case  of  the  5  cent,  where  the  shades 
range  from  bright  ultramarine  to  a  very  deep  Prussian  blue  ;  this  value, 
however,  imperforate,  shows  a  far  greater  number  of  shades  than  the 
perforate  one,  while  up  to  the  present  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  the  latter 
in  ultramarine. 

The  paper  has  no  watermark,  that  visible  in  some  specimens  being 
merely  a  manufacturer's  mark  and  of  no  importance  to  collectors. 


172  The  Philatelic  Record. 

Within  the  last  months  I  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  acquire  an 
entire  sheet  with  margins  of  the  5  cent  value,  and  present  for  inspection 
likewise  an  entire  sheet  of  the  10  cent.  It  is  on  these  two  values  in 
particular  that  I  wish  to  make  a  few  observations,  although  there  may  be 
nothing  new  to  convey  to  anyone  who  has  studied  these  stamps. 

The  stamps  are  printed  in  sheets  of  200  in  10  vertical  rows  of  20,  and 
it  is  clear,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  relative  positions  of  the  varieties,  that 
the  lithographic  stone  in  the  last  stage  is  made  up  of  two  blocks  of  100 
stamps  each,  in  10  rows  of  10.  How  the  panes  of  100  were  made  up 
it  seems  at  present  impossible  to  say. 

A  curious  fact,  however,  with  regard  to  the  sheet  of  5  cents  now 
exhibited  is  that  it  consists  of  only  190  stamps,  with  the  sheet  of  paper 
showing  enough  empty  space  for  the  missing  10  stamps.  It  is,  to  my  mind, 
evident  that  during  the  years  the  plate  of  this  value  was  in  use,  something 
must  have  happened  to  the  stone. 

From  marginal  stamps  of  the  right  and  left  sides  of  the  imperforate 
stamps  of  an  early  printing  I  have  been  able  to  find  out  that  the  first  row 
is  missing  from  my  sheet,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  empty  space  referred 
to  above  is  on  the  left  side,  showing  that  sheets  of  paper  large  enough 
to  take  the  200  impressions  were  used,  and  that  this  first  row  must  have 
been  removed  from  the  lithographic  stone.  As  a  matter  of  interest  it 
would  be  very  desirable  to  know  whether  only  the  perforated  stamps  exist 
in  sheets  of  190,  or  whether  the  imperforated  ones  do  likewise,  or  whether 
also  full  sheets  of  200  are  known  of  the  perforated  stamp.  Perhaps  some- 
body who  possesses  entire  sheets  may  be  able  to  settle  the  point. 

Taking  all  the  stamps  on  the  first  vertical  rows  to  be  missing,  I  feel 
justified  in  giving  the  numbers  of  the  following  list  of  the  most  prominent 
varieties  as  belonging  to  the  full  sheet  of  200.     They  are  as  follows : — 

(1)  The  head  of  the  numerial  "  5  "  is  unshaded  (white). 

Nos.  7  and  17  in  the  first  row  of  sheet  (horizontal). 

(2)  The  first  "  c  "  in  "  centecimos  "  is  omitted. 

Nos.  7  and  17  in  the  second  row. 

(3)  The  "s"  in  "centecimos"  is  smaller  than  the  normal  one  and 
a  fainter  impression  than  the  other  letters,  as  if  it  had  been  added. 

Nos.  5  and  15  in  the  third  row. 

(4)  The  "  s  "  in  "  centecimos  "  is  also  smaller  than  the  normal  one, 
but  farther  away  from  the  "  o  "  than  in  the  variety  No.  3. 

Nos.  3  and  13  in  the  fifth  row. 

(5)  The  "  s,"  of  normal  size,  is  wide  apart  from  the  "  o,"  with  a  full- 


stop  after  it. 


Nos.  8  and  18  in  the  sixth  row. 


(6)  The   inner  curved  line  of   the  "5"    above  "centecimos"  is  not 
finished.  Nos.  3  and  13  in  row  sixth  row. 

(7)  The  "  s  "  in  "  centecimos  "  is  omitted. 

Nos.  2  and  12  in  the  seventh  row. 

(8)  The  "  s  "  in  "  centecimos  "  is  omitted,  but  there  is  a  hyphen  after 
the  "  o."  Nos.  4  and  14  in  the  seventh  row. 

(9)  The  "  s  "  is  larger  than  the  normal  one,  wide  apart  from  the  "  o," 
and  nearly  tonches  the  outer  line  of  the  "  5." 

Nos.  5  and  15  in  the  tenth  row. 

(10)  There  is  no  shading  in  the  quartering  of  the  shield  below  the 
horse.  Nos.  2  and  12  in  the  tenth   row. 


Uruguay  Varieties.  173 


(11)  The  inner  curved  line  of  the  "5"  above  "centecimos"  runs 
into  the  outer  line. 

Nos,  3  and  13  in  the  tenth  row. 

Besides  the  varieties  mentioned  above  there  are  a  number  of  minor 
ones,  as,  for  instance,  in  stamps  2  and  12  in  the  third  row,  where  the 
quartering  of  the  shield  under  the  horse  is  only  partly  shaded,  but  it  would 
lead  too  far  to  enumerate  all  these  minute  variations,  which  are  hardly 
worth  collecting. 

As  to  the  sheet  of  the  10  cent.,  I  find  only  one  really  prominent 
variety,  and  this  is  the  stamp  in  which  the  "  1  "  in  the  word  "  centecimos  " 
is  omitted.  Of  this  variety  there  are  three  in  the  sheet,  viz.,  4  and  14 
in  the  third  row,  and  12  in  the  seventh. 

A  second  variety  which  might  be  taken  is  the  fourteenth  stamp  in  the 
tenth  row,  with  a  very  small  "s  "  in  "centecimos." 

All  the  other  variations,  as  stamps  where  the  "t"  looks  like  a  "j" 
and  the  "  e  "  in  "  diez  "  resembles  an  "  1  "  or  a  "  z  "  or  a  "  b,"  are  not  worth 
mentioning. 

With  regard  to  the  10  c,  certain  varieties  may  be  discovered  due  to 
the  irregular  placing  of  the  horizontal  background,  of  "  centecimos,"  etc., 
especially  below  the  foot  of  the  figure  "  1."  In  many  cases  two  lines  are 
visible  below  the  shading  of  the  foot  of  the  figure  ;  this,  however,  is  not 
due  to  an  irregularity  in  the  position  of  the  large  figure  itself,  but  entirely 
to  the  background.  The  varieties  of  letters  in  the  background  only  par- 
tially printed,  or  in  some  cases  apparently  omitted,  are  due  only  to  imper- 
fection in  taking  the  impression. 

I  know  of  no  prominent  varieties  on  the  15  c.  and  20  c.  values,  but 
in  these  cases  I  am  under  the  disadvantage  of  not  having  inspected  sheets 
of  these  values. 

A  variety  of  the  1  c.  stamp  is  known  with  a  small  circle  on  the  right 
of  the  figure  1,  but  as  this  variety  does  not  exist  on  the  sheets  which  have 
been  seen,  the  inference  is  that  this  must  have  occurred  only  in  the  first 
printings  and  afterwards  rectified,  or  that  it  must  be  an  essay  or  proof. 
On  the  perforated  1  c.  it  is  not  known.  Proofs  of  this  issue  exist  on  card- 
board in  black  and  also  in  colours. 


174  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Those  Guam   Stamps. 


EVER  since  we  were  informed  by  our  American  contemporaries  that 
an  officer  had  sailed  with  a  sealed  packet  of  U.S.  stamps  sur- 
charged for  "Guam"  we  have  been  waiting  with  no  little  curiosity 
for  some  explanation,  or  official  refutation  of  the  story.  Our 
friends  across  the  water  have  been  accustomed  to  metaphorically  pitch 
brickbats  and  other  missiles  at  us  because  of  the  postal  eccentricities  of 
some  of  our  Colonies.  We  enter  no  sort  of  defence,  we  plead  very  guilty. 
But  this  Guam  !  What  of  it  ?  And  if  we  add  Omahas,  and  other 
philatelic  monstrosities  to  come,  the  balance  of  our  iniquities  becomes 
by  the  comparison  somewhat  more  bearable. 

Still,  we  are  curious  to  hear  more  of  the  nature  and  the  necessity  of 
this  issue  for  "  Guam."  Spain  with  all  her  fondness  for  many  issues  of 
postage  stamps,  might  be  forgiven  much  by  reason  of  her  poverty,  but 
even  Spain  never  dreamt  of  making  a  special  issue  of  stamps  for  "Guam." 

Our  Australian  contemporary,  the  Australian  Philatelist  is  equally 
puzzled.  "  As  the  population  is  une  quantite  negligeable,  and  the  staple 
production  consists  of  guano,"  it  finds  it,  "  difficult  to  understand  where 
the  necessity  for  stamps  comes  in.  There  can  be  no  necessity  for 
'  internal '  posts,  and  there  is  no  regular  service  to  the  island.  From 
the  number  of  ships  that  enter  out  for  '  Guam  '  it  might  be  thought  other- 
wise, but  the  explanation  is  that  the  name  is  used  as  a  polite  deception 
by  shipowners  who  do  not  wish  to  publicly  disclose  the  destination  of 
their  vessels." 

Report  says  that  one  Captain  of  the  United  States  Navy,  left  on  the 
steamship  "Yosemite"  about  May  ioth  of  the  present  year  with  the 
following  U.S.  stamps  surcharged  Guam  : — 

10,000  ...  ...  ic. 

30,000  ...  ...  2C. 

5,000  ...  ...  5c. 

Captain  Leary  is  to  be  a  sort  of  jack  of  all  trades.  He  is  to  be 
Governor  of  the  Island  and  also  its  postmaster,  and  for  all  we  know  to  the 
contrary,  head  cook  and  bottle  washer. 

Is  it  possible  that  the  U.S.  officer  with  that  secret  package  of  stamps 
has  '  entered  out '  for  '  Guam  '  as  a  '  polite  deception,'  and  that  he  may 
be  expected  to  turn  up  elsewhere  ? 

Any  way,  we  shall  be  somewhat  relieved  when  he  turns  up  somewhere, 
and  we  have  some  more  definite  information  as  to  his  philatelic  intentions. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  later  information  will  afford  us  some  explanation 
of  the  why  and  wherefore  of  an  issue  that  seems  so  utterly  uncalled  for. 
It  is  not  an  edifying  spectacle  to  see  the  Great  Republic  of  the  West 
planting  unnecessary  issues  of  postage  stamps  on  stray  islands,  for  the 
natural  question  will  arise  where  will  it  end.  The  new  territory  is  so 
prolific  of  islands  of  the  Guam  kind  that  the  possibilities  are  almost 
unlimited  to  a  department  that  so  readily  makes  a  special  issue  of  postage 
stamps  for  a  country  Fair. 


South  African  Collectors.  175 

South    African    Collectors. 

From  the  Johannesburg  Star. 


LOCAL  philately  has  made  great  strides  during  the  last  twelve  months, 
and  establishments  for  the  sale  and  exchange  of  stamps  are  rapidly 
increasing  in  number  on  the  Rand.  One  of  the  oldest  firms  of 
postage  stamp  dealers  in  Johannesburg  is  that  of  Sallo  Epstein  and 
Co.,  and  much  interesting  information  was  obtained  by  a  representative  of 
this  paper  from  the  head  of  the  firm  on  the  subject  of  local  philately.  The 
head  of  the  firm  attributes  the  "  boom"  in  stamp  collecting,  which  exists 
at  present,  to  the  fact  that  people  here  have  more  time  on  their  hands  than 
in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Rand.  He  states  that  the  fascination  which 
philately  possesses  for  many  people,  who  have  either  seen  collections  or 
noted  the  absording  interests  taken  by  collectors  in  the  subject,  has  also 
had  something  to  do  with  the  development  of  the  "  craze."  The  earlier 
collectors  in  Johannesburg  confined  their  efforts  mainly  to  securing 
specimens  of  African  stamps,  but  latterly  they  have  taken  to  acquiring 
stamps  of  every  country  in  the  world. 

A  Philatelist  Society  existed  here  about  four  years  ago,  which  had  the 
effect  of  rousing  the  latent  interest  of  many  collectors,  who  bestirred  them- 
selves to  enlarge  their  collections,  and  it  thereby  created  a  healthy  rivalry 
among  those  members  who  wished  to  boast  of  having  the  largest  collection. 
Dr.  Jameson  and  his  raid,  however,  upset  the  apple-cart  of  the  Rand 
philatelist,  and  moral,  if  not  material,  damage  to  the  Society  resulted  from 
his  ill-fated  expedition.  The  Society  was  wound  up,  but  owing  to  good 
management  on  the  part  of  the  executive  the  members  were  fortunate 
enough  to  receive  an  equivalent  in  stamps,  which  was  sufficient  to  repay 
them  for  the  subscriptions  collected  from  them.  So,  after  all,  they  really 
benefited  by  the  knowledge  gained  through  intercourse  with  kindred  spirits 
at  the  meetings  of  the  Society,  and  obtained  advantage  from  exchanging 
duplicate  stamps  and  picking  up  bargains  without  being  out  of  pocket. 
Individually  the  members  lost  nothing  ;  the  Society  merely  disappeared. 

Having  regard  to  the  asorbing  interest  which  philately  offers  to  the 
student,  it  is  strange  that  even  more  people  do  not  follow  it  up.  Stamp 
collecting,  from  even  a  base  monetary  point  of  view,  offers  a  most  profit- 
able field  for  all  those  engaged  in  its  pursuit,  and  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
stamps  increase  in  value  year  by  year.  In  Johannesburg,  as  a  matter  of 
actual  fact,  there  are  several  instances  on  record  of  stamp  collectors,  who 
had  fallen  on  evil  days  having  been  enabled  to  make  a  fresh  start  in  life 
through  selling  their  collections.  Stamp  collecting  thus  proved  a  true 
friend  in  need,  and  at  the  same  time  pointing  a  moral. 

South  African  stamps,  from  the  Cape  to  the  Zambesi,  have  lately  come 
into  great  favour  with  philatelists  in  Europe  and  America.  Early  issues 
of  Transvaal  stamps  especially  are  in  keen  demand,  and  are  likely  to  rise 
considerably  in  value,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  all  South  African 
stamps,  except,  of  course,  current  issues.  Political  complications  in  the 
South  African  Republic,  and  the  attention  which  Europe  and  America  are 
giving  to  the  subject,  have  undoubtedly  enhanced  the  value  of  local  issues 
of  some  years  back. 


176 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


Great  Barrier  Island. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to 
the  genuineness  of  stamps  issued  for  a 
so-called  "Pigeongram"  Service  for  Great 
Barrier  Island  off  the  Coast  of  New  Zealand. 

This  being  so-  we  quote  in  extenso  what 
our  excellent  Australian  contemporary,  the 
Australian  Philatelist,  has  to  say  as  to  the 
history  and  status  of  the  stamps  in  question. 

"  Mr.  Hagen  has  shown  us  a  communi- 
cation he  received  from  New  Zealand, 
written  on  behalf  of  '  Mr.  Fricker,  of  the 
Great  Barrier  Pigeongram  Agency,'  and 
covering  a  description  of  that  Agency's  work, 
and  specimens  of  the  stamps  used  for  closing 
and  securing  the  privacy  of  the  messages. 
The  writer  '  understands  that  a  stamp  is 
being  sold  purporting  to  be  used  for  this 
service,  but  the  fact  that  unused  specimens 
cannot  be  brought  in  the  place  where  they 
are  supposed  to  be  used  speaks  for  itself ; 
you  can  buy  them  cancelled  at  face  value.' 
He  believes  that  the  authorities  have  taken 
steps  to  stop  the  sale,  and  proceeds  :  '  I  am 
informed  by  Mr.  Fricker  that  the  parties 
who  issued  the  Barrier  stamp  could  not  send 
a  message  to  and  from  this  island  at  any 
price  by  pigeon,  and  he,  in  self  defence, 
issued  a  bond  fide  stamp  representing  a  fee 
prepaid  for  the  delivery  of  messages  carried 
by  homing  pigeons.  This  is  the  only  genuine 
agency,  and  the  people  here  recognise  that  by 
the  way  in  which  this  stamp  is  being  bought.'1 
He  encloses  stamps  of  two  values  and 
forwards  the  following  article  descriptive  of 
the  Pigeon  Post : — 

THE  GREAT  BARRIER  PIGEONGRAM 
AGENCY. 

AUCKLAND,    NEW    ZEALAND. 

The  above  service  was  started  in  1896  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  correspondence  by 
means  of  homing  pigeons  between  the 
island  named  and  the  city  of  Auckland. 
Having  been  brought  prominently  before  the 
public  in  that  colony  by  the  issue  of  the 
1  Pigeongram  '  stamp,  a  description  of  the 
work  as  carried  on  by  these  pretty  messen- 
gers will  no  doubt  be  perused  with  interest. 
Our  readers  will  remember  that  the  s.s. 
'  Wairarapa  '  was  wrecked  at  this  island,  and 
while  the  whole  of  Australia  was  anxiously 
waiting  tidings  of  the  overdue  steamer  the 
survivors  of  this  terrible  calamity  were  im- 
prisoned on  the  island  four  days  waiting  the 
arrival  of  the  fortnightly  steamer,  there  being 
no  cable  communication  with  the  mainland, 
though  the  distance  is  but  sixty  miles  from 
Auckland  by  water.  At  the  request  of 
several    residents    on    the    island    W.    W. 


Fricker,  of  Auckland,  whose  loft  contains 
some  of  the  elite  of  the  colonial  pigeon 
world,  used  to  send  as  opportunity  offered  a 
basket  of  birds  to  the  Island  for  use  as 
required,  but  in  1896  the  gold  and  silver 
mines  at  the  Island  were  opened  up,  and 
getting  into  full  swing  it  was  felt  that  some 
better  means  of  transit  for  carrying  the 
correspondence  was  required  and  the  work 
of  the  birds  having  given  satisfaction  the 
'  Pigeongram  Agency,'  which  provided  safe 
and  rapid  means  of  communication  with 
Auckland,  was  thoroughly  established.  At 
the  outset  the  birds  were  only  worked  from 
the  Island,  but  after  patience  and  perse- 
verance in  training  a  through  team  was  got 
to  do  the  journey  from  the  city  regularly, 
thus  completing  the  circuit  of  communication. 
During  the  first  three  years  of  the  work  the 
cost  of  a  message  was  2s.  per  sheet  of  tissue 
paper  quarto  size,  but  with  the  increasing 
number  of  messages  daily  in  transit  the  price 
has  been  reduced  to  sixpence  from  the  Island. 
This  stamp  is  blue  and  the  shilling  fee  from 
Auckland  is  represented  by  one  in  red. 
These  stamps  have  been  found  necessary  to 
close  the  ends  of  the  very  fine  paper  on 
which  the  messages  are  written  and  are 
perforated  down  the  side  so  that  by  tearing 
the  perforated  ends  the  message  is  opened. 
The  stamp  is  quite  in  keeping  with  this  novel 
service  being  three  cornered  with  a  homing 
pigeon  in  full  flight  within  a  circle,  the 
spaces  between  the  circle  and  the  border 
being  filled  with  scroll  work.  The  figure  of 
value  occupies  the  top  corner,  the  bottom 
ones  have  N.  and  Z.  respectively  ;  on  the 
left  side  of  the  triangle  are  the  words  Great 
Barrier  Isl'd,  on  the  right  '  Pigeongram ' 
denoting  the  service,  the  whole  forming  a 
very  neat  and  pretty  design.  The  messages 
are  covered  with  a  waterproof  legging  to 
protect  them  from  wet  should  the  bird  meet 
with  bad  weather.  The  difference  in  the  fee 
for  sending  a  message  to  the  Island  (which 
lies  low  in  the  sea  and  is  ofttimes  enveloped 
in  mist)  is  occasioned  by  the  extra  work 
entailed  in  training  the  birds  for  this  journey 
and  getting  them  to  leave  the  city  on  their 
long  water  fly.  The  birds  on  arrival  at 
either  terminus  enter  a  specially  arranged 
trap,  passing  between  two  movable  wires 
which  on  falling  sound  an  alarm,  when  an 
attendant  relieves  the  little  carrier  of  its 
burden  and  it  is  at  once  forwarded  to  its 
address.  The  service  is  very  much  used  by 
all  classes  desiring  quick  communication, 
and  the  support  it  receives  speaks  well  for 
its  great  usefulness,  and  the  great  care  and 
patience  required  to  develop  this  marvellous 
instinct  (so  well  known  in  the  homing  pigeon) 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


177 


deserves  the  popular  recognition  the  Great 
Barrier  Pigeongram  Agency  receives." 

We  have  given  a  good  deal  of  space  to 
this  '  Pigeongram  '  business,  partly  because 
it  is  really  interesting  from  a  postal  point  of 
view,  but  chiefly  to  show  philatelists  clearly 
what  is  the  nature  of  the  '  stamps,'  which  will 
probably  be  freely  offered  to  collectors,  un- 
used, used,  and  on  original  message  before 
long.  The  service — that  is,  the  only  genuine 
one,  please  avoid  all  dangerous  imitations  — 
existed  for  three  years  before  the  necessity  (?) 
for  stamps  was  discovered,  and  then  they 
were  only  issued  '  in  self-defence,'  because 
there  was  a  fraudulent  claimant  for  philatelic 
favour  in  the  field  !  There  may  be  a  very 
real  demand  for  rapid  and  regular  communi- 
cation with  Great  Barrier  Island,  but  con- 
sidering that  there  is  at  least  a  fortnightly 
steam  service,  and  that  the  carrying  for  pay- 
ment of  closed  letters  by  any  means  between 
points  where  there  is  already  a  Government 
postal  service  is  expressly  forbidden  by  law, 
the  pigeongram  service  is  prima  facie  illegal. 
In  the  second  place  if  messages  could  be 
carried  for  three  years  without  stamps,  such 
labels  are  not  necessary  now.  However, 
purchasers  will  no  doubt  be.  found  for  the 
stamps,  which  are  decidedly  pretty,  though 
somewhat  large  for  the  purpose  ;  in  fact  the 
two  which  appear  to  be  necessary  for  a  reply 
paid  message,  would  be  a  respectable  load  for 
any  pigeon,  without  the  letter  ! 

Puerto  Principe  Provisionals. 

According  to  MekeeVs  Weekly,  there  is 
an  abundant  crop  of  varieties  of  these  proli- 
fic provisionals,  our  contemporary  enumer- 
ates the  series  of  this  family  as  follows  : — 

On  Feb.  17th,  I  ventured  to  make  the 
following  remarks  on  the  subject  of  these 
provisionals :  "  There  will  be,  from  all 
appearances,  varieties  enough  of  this  prolific 
provisional  to  suit  the  most  fastidious  hunter 
after  philatelic  minutia."  My  anticipations 
have  been  unexpectedly  realized,  for,  accord- 
ing to  the  information  I  have  been  able  to 
obtain  in  Cuba  from  authentic  sources,  there 
have  been  about  70  varieties  from  four  print- 
ings made  from  December  19th,  1898,  as  per 
copy  of  the  decree  published  in  the  WEEK- 
LY, up  to  the  time  that  the  U.S.  stamps 
surcharged  "  Cuba  "  were  received  in  Puerto 
Principe,  when  the  surcharging  of  Spanish 
stamps  ceased,  though  Spanish  surcharged 
stamps  were  continued  in  use  and  were 
actually  used  on  the  same  letter,  together 
with  U.S.  surcharged  stamps. 

The     first     printing     consisted     of    the 
following   Spanish-Cuba   series  of  i8g8-gg 
"  Habilitado — cents  "    in    black     in     three 
horizontal  lines  : 

3,000   stamps,    1  cent    on  1  milesimas 
orange-brown. 

3, goo  stamps,  2  cents  on  2  milesimas 
orange-brown. 

3,000  stamps,  3  cents   on  3  milesimas 
orange-brown. 

1,000  stamps,  5  cents  on  5  milesimas 
orange-brown. 


Varieties  :  The  stamps  were  surcharged  in 
strips  of  five  detached  from  the  panes,  and 
every  five  stamps  show  two  varieties  of 
figures,  the  second  stamp  in  the  case  of  the 
2C,  3c.  and  5c,  bearing  a  thinner  figure 
than  the  other  four,  while  in  the  case  of  the 
one  cent  a  broken  figure  is  shown  in  one 
stamp. 

Errors  :  Of  the  3,000  one-cent  stamps 
there  are  some  reading  1  cent  and  others 
reading  1  cents,  the  normal,  cent,  being  the 
rarest,  according  to  expert  opinion.  I  have 
the  following  errors  of  surcharge : 

3c.  on  1  milesima. 
5c.  on  1  milesima. 
5c.  on  2  milesimas. 
5c.  on  3  milesimas. 

Inverted  surcharges. — I  have  the  follow- 
ing :— 

1  cents  on  1  milesima. 

2  cents  on  2  milesimas. 

3  cents  on  3  milesimas. 
5  cents  on  5  milesimas. 

The  second  printing  consisted  of  800 
stamps  of  Cuba  of  the  value  of  J  milesima, 
blue-green  of  1896  surcharged  5c.  The 
printing  of  the  surcharge  was  done  in  the 
same  way  as  before,  five  stamps  to  a  strip 
and  two  varieties  of  figure  in  the  five.  There 
is  a  wide  and  a  narrow  setting  of  the  sur- 
charge, "  Habilitado — cents"  in  black  in  three 
horizontal  lines.  I  have  an  inverted  sur- 
charge of  the  narrow  setting. 

Of  the  third  printing  there  were  7,000  one- 
cent  violet  stamps  of  the  Cuba  series  i8g8-gg 
surcharged  as  follows  : — 

"  Habilitado — cents  "  in  red  in  three  hori- 
zontal lines. 

3,500 —  3  cents. 

3,500 —  5  cents. 

1,000 — 10  cents. 

The  printing  was  in  strips  of  five  and  two 
varieties  of  figure  in  each  five.  There  is  in 
my  collection  a  peculiar  error  in  the  shape  of 
a  vertical  surcharge  of  the  5  cents.  I  have 
the  following  inverted  surcharges  : — 

2  cents. 
5  cents. 

The  fourth  and  last  printing,  the  most 
interesting  of  all,  consisted  of  800  stamps  of 
the  newspaper  denominations  of  Cuba,  1896. 
These  stamps  were  surcharged,  as  far  as  can 
be  ascertained,  as  follows  : — ■ 

3c.  on  1,  2,  and  3  milesimas,  blue-green. 

They  were  surcharged  on  strips  of  five,  two 
of  5c.  on  1,  2,  3,  4,  and  8  milesimas,  blue- 
green  varieties  of  figure.  No  trace  has  been 
found  of  any  stamps  surcharged  3c.  on  4  or 
8  milesimas,  but  there  is  a  bare  possibility  of 
their  existing.  The  surcharge  was  "  Habili- 
tado— cents"  in  black  in  three  horizontal 
lines. 

Errors: — There  is  a  very  noticeable  error  : 
eents  instead  of  cents,  which  I  have  thus  far 
found  on  the  following  denominations  : 

3c.  on  1  mma. 
3c.  on  2  mms. 
3c.  on  3  mms. 


178 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


5c.  on  1  mma. 
5c.  on  2  mms. 
5c.  on  3  mms. 
5c.  on  8  mms. 

The  only  value  in  which  I  have  not  found 
it  being  the  5c.  on  4  mms.,  which  may,  how- 
ever, exist  in  some  other  philatelist's  col- 
lection. 

Inverted  surcharges :  I  have  the  3c.  on 
1  mma.,  5c.  on  8  mms.  cents. 

In  the  foregoing  list  I  have  only  enumer- 
ated the  errors  and  varieties  in  my  collection 
and  I  hope  that  collectors  possessing  other 
varieties  of  these  very  interesting  stamps  will 
not  hestitate  to  come  forward  and  chronicle 
them  in  the  WEEKLY.  I  regret  to  say  that 
very  few  collectors,  however,  have  taken  any 
active  interest  in  hunting  up  the  stamps  of 
this  historical  issue,  though  it  is  true  that 
their  extreme  rarity  has  deterred  many  from 
embarking  on  such  an  expensive  under- 
taking. 

These  stamps  were  mainly  used  in  the  city 
of  Puerto  Principe,  in  the  station  of  Minas, 
midway  between  the  capital  of  the  province, 
and  its  northern  port,  Nuevitas  itself.  I 
have  stamps  cancelled  in  Nuevitas.  I  have 
not  heard  of  any  stamps  having  been  used  in 
Santa  Cruz  del  Sur,  the  southern  port  of 
Puerto  Principe.  The  cancellations  most 
frequently  seen  are  with  the  old  Spanish 
cancelling  machine,  reading:  "  Correo  de 
Puerto  Principe,  Ysla  de  Cuba,"  the  number 
159  appearing  on  the  latter.  The  dates  are 
generally  very  indistinct.  The  American 
cancellations  are  rare.  I  have  seen  two :  a 
double  oval  "  Mil.  Sta.  Puerto  Principe  "  on 
the  outside  oval,  and  "  No.  11.  Cuba"  on  the 
inside  oval ;  and  two  types  of  a  round  can- 
cellation, reading  "  Military  sta.  No.  n. 
Puerto  Principe,  Cuba,  N.  Y.  P,  O."  in  six 
lines  including  the  date. 

I  am  reliably  informed  that  these  sur- 
charges have  been  counterfeited  in  Habana, 
Cuba.  I  have  seen  several  specimens  which 
differ  in  the  size  of  the  surcharge  sufficiently 
to  be  readily  detected  by  anyone  who  has 
seen  the  genuine  surcharges. 

Canadian    "  Two  Cent  " 
Surcharge. 

We  quote  the  following  official  document 
from  the  American  Journal  of  Philately  : 

Ottawa,  1st  July,   1899. 

Owing  to  the  reduction  in  the  Domestic 
letter  rate  of  postage,  the  issue  of  the  3c. 
letter  card,  the  3c.  stamped  envelope,  and 
the  3c.  postage  stamp  from  the  Department 
has  ceased.  Any  unused  3c.  letter  cards, 
3c.  stamped  envelopes,  or  3c.  stamps,  still 
extant,  will,  however,  continue  available  for 
postage  purposes,  or  may  be  exchanged  at 
any  Post  Office,  at  their  full  face  value,  for 
postage  stamps  of  other  denominations. 

The  colour  of  the  Domestic-rate  postage 
stamps,  as  prescribed  by  the  Universal 
Postal  Union,  is  red,  and  it  is  intended  to 


discontinue  the  issue  of  the  ordinary  two- 
cent  purple  coloured  stamps  as  soon  as  the 
present  supply  on  hand  is  exhausted.  This 
will  be  about  the  20th  July,  1899.  There- 
after the  Department  will  issue  two-cent 
stamps  in  red,  first,  however,  surcharging 
down  to  two  cents  the  unissued  remnant  of 
three-cent  stamps  in  red  now  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Department,  and  as  soon  as  the 
supply  of  such  surcharged  threes  is  exhausted, 
the  issue  of  two-cent  stamps  in  red  will  begin. 
The  surcharged  stamps  will  be  issued  to 
Postmasters  as  2c.  postage  stamps  and  be 
recognized  as  stamps  of  that  denomination. 

Postmasters  are  requested  to  exchange,  as 
above  mentioned,  all  unused  3c.  letter-cards, 
3c.  stamped  envelopes  and  3c.  stamps  which 
may  be  offered  them  to  be  exchanged  for 
other  postage  stamps  of  an  equal  value. 

Postmasters,  who  as  a  result  of  such  ex- 
change, may  find  the  3c.  stamps,  &c,  unsale- 
able, are  at  liberty,  in  the  case  of  an  Account- 
ing Post  Office,  to  send  them  direct  to  the 
Department  for  credit ;  and  in  the  case  of  a 
Non-accounting  Post  Office,  to  send  them  to 
the  City  Post  Office  from  which  it  obtains  its 
supplies,  asking  in  lieu  of  those  returned 
other  stamps  to  an  equal  value. 

It  is  especially  requested  that,  in  the  case 
of  stamps  sent  direct  to  the  Department, 
under  this  authority,  that  is  to  say,  by 
Accounting  Post  Offices, — Postmasters  will 
be  so  good  as  to  carry  out  the  following 
instructions  : — 

(1)  Each  transmission  should  be  registered, 
and  accompanied  with  a  brief  memorandum, 
plainly  stamped  with  the  date  stamp  of  the 
Post  Office,  and  indicating  the  number  and 
value  of  the  3c.  stamps,  &c,  claimed  to  be 
enclosed.  If  other  stamps  are  required  to 
replace  those  returned,  a  separate  requisition 
therefor  (not  enclosed  in  the  package)  should 
be  sent  direct  to  the  Department  in  the  usual 
way. 

(2)  Single  stamps,  and  stamps  that  are  not 
in  complete  sheets,  should  be  pasted  on 
alternate  pages  of  separate  sheets  of  paper 
with  not  more  than  one  hundred  stamps  on 
each  page.  Any  stamps  that  have  stuck 
together  whilst  in  the  possession  of  the  Post- 
master, must  be  taken  apart  (which  can  easily 
be  done  by  immersing  them  for  a  few  minutes 
in  water)  and  then  pasted  on  sheets  of  paper 
as  above  directed. 

Postmasters  of  Non-accounting  Offices  are 
particularly  asked  to  bear  in  mind  that  any 
3c.  letter-cards,  3c.  stamped  envelopes  or  3c. 
postage  stamps  which,  conformably  to  this 
instruction,  they  may  receive  from  the  public 
in  exchange  for  other  stamps  and  find  unsale- 
able, must  be  returned,  as  above  directed,  to 
the  City  Post  Offices  from  which  they  respect- 
ively obtain  their  supplies,  and  not  to  the 
Department. 

As  only  the  unissued  remnant  of  3c.  stamps 
now  in  the  Department  will  be  surcharged, 
Postmasters  must  not  send  in,  with  a  view 
to  their  surcharge,  any  3c.  stamps  in  their 
possession,  nor  accept  3c.  stamps  from  the 
public  for  that  purpose. 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


179 


Postmasters  must  distinctly  understand 
that  the  exchange  of  stamps  herein  permitted 
applies  only  to  the  3c.  letter-card,  the  3c. 
stamped  envelope  and  the  3c.  postage  stamp. 

R.  M.  Coulter, 

Deputy  Postmaster-General. 

End   of  Seebeck   Issues. 

Stamp  collectors  will  be  pleased  to  learn, 
on  the  authority  of  the  American  Journal  of 
Philately,  that  there  are  to  be  no  more 
Seebeck  contracts,  says  the  A.  J. P. : — 

"  We  can  now  definitely  inform  our  readers 
that  the  contract  which  expires  this  year  was 
not  renewed  by  Mr.  Seebeck  and  that  the 
issue  of  1899  marks  the  end  of  the  interest- 
ing period.  The  executors  or  assigns  of  Mr. 
Seebeck  do  not  intend  to  enter  into  any  new 
agreement  looking  to  the  providing  of  stamps 
under  such  arrangements  as  had  previously 
been  made,  and  we  consider  it  extremely 
doubtful  that  any  one  else  will  attempt  to 
step  into  his  shoes.  It  may  be  safely  assum- 
ed that  any  such  speculation  would  be  a 
losing  one,  as  Mr.  Seebeck'sown  experience 
has  shown  that  no  money  can  be  made  out 
of  such  transactions,  the  countries  concerned 
being  constantly  on  the  increase  and  their 
postal  requirements  necessitating  such  a 
large  supply  of  stamps  for  their  postal  needs 
as  to  wipe  out  all  possible  profit  on  the 
transaction." 

English  Postage  Stamps. 

Mr.  Ewen  in  his  Weekly  Circular  tells  us 
that  "  of  the  123  different  kinds  of  British 
Postage  Stamps  which  have  been  issued  up 
to  the  present  time,  79  are  adhesives,  and  44 
non-adhesives  (two  of  the  latter  would  be 
more  correctly  described  as  pictorial  covers) 
and  of  these  18  and  15  respectively  are  still 


in  use.  The  18  current  adhesives  have  had 
an  average  life  of  over  12  years,  the  penny 
value  being  the  oldest  (17^  years),  whilst  the 
15  non-adhesives  average  14J  years,  although 
it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  3d.,  4d.,  6d. 
and  1/-  values  are  practically  the  same 
stamps  as  those  originally  issued  in  1855-59, 
whilst  the  2d.  envelope  stamp  issued  in  1841 
was  only  changed  in  colour  7  years  ago,  and 
the  current  id.  envelope  stamp,  except  for 
dating  (i860  to  1881)  has  remained  un- 
changed since  its  first  issue  in  July  1841. 
As  regards  present  day  values,  only  eight 
stamps  (all  non-adhesive)  are  more  valuable 
used  than  unused,  a  proof  that  British 
stamps  are  only  issued  to  meet  a  legitimate 
demand.  The  cost  of  a  complete  collection 
is  £92  12s.  id.  unused  (£45  of  this  is  for  two 
stamps)  or  £15  6s.  id.  used  (of  which  £y 
10s.  is  for  four  stamps)." 

The  Last  of  the  Columbians. 

We  quote  with  pleasure  the  following 
announcement  from  the  Metropolitan  Phil- 
atelist : — 

"An  important  decision,  and  one  which 
will  be  hailed  with  joy,  has  just  been  reached 
at  the  Post  Office  Department.  It  is  one  of 
interest  to  thousands  of  collectors  and  specu- 
lators throughout  the  world.  Some  time  ago 
we  reported  having  had  extended  conversa- 
tions with  the  officials  in  regard  to  securing 
better  perforations  on  our  present  issues, 
and  also  urging  the  destruction  of  all  high 
value  Columbians  which  have  been  at  this 
office  for  the  past  few  years.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  6c,  $3,  $4  and  $5  have  been 
on  sale  here  since  1893.  On  Monday  last  the 
order  was  sent  to  the  post  office  to  return  to 
the  department  all  old  stock  of  Columbians 
which  will  be  immediately  destroyed. 


i8o 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


St.  Helena   Remainders. 

According  to  a  cutting  from  the  St.  Helena 
Guardian  of  June  ist,  1899,  stamp  collectors 
are  substantially  helping  St.  Helena  out  of 
its  financial  difficulties  : — 

"  By  the  last  mail  from  England  the  balance 
(about  £6,600)  of  the  £8,800  odd  of  obsolete 
Postage  Stamps  of  St.  Helena  that  were 
lying  at  the  Colonial  Office  were  sent  out, 
and  are  now  on  sale  at  the  Post  Office. 
Since  the  arrival  of  the  first  lot  (about 
£2,000  worth)  a  large  demand  has  been 
made,  and  up  to  the  present  the  average 
amount  realized  for  sale  of  Stamps  per 
month  is  £100 — about  £350  worth  having 
been  already  sold. 

The  arrival  and  sale  of  these  stamps  have 
been  very  opportune  for  the  Government,  as 
at  the  end  of  last  year  the  liabilities  of  the 
Colony  exceeded  the  assets  by  £2,486.  As 
a  set-off  to  this  we  have  the  £8,800  in  obso- 
lete Stamps,  and  at  the  present  rate  of  sale 
theexcessof  liabilities  will  soon  be  recouped." 

Death  of  Seebeck. 

The  American  Journal  of  Philately 
announces  the  death  of  Mr.  Nicholas  F. 
Seebeck.     It  says  : — 

"  After  a  lingering  illness,  which  had  been 
gradually  draining  his  strength,  Mr.  Nicholas 
F.  Seebeck  expired  on  Friday,  June  23rd, 
in  his  42nd  year.  Mr.  Seebeck  was  known 
for  many  years  as  a  stamp  dealer  and  stamp 


printer,  and  it  is  but  justice  to  his  memory 
to  state  that  in  all  his  business  transactions 
he  was  guided  by  the  highest  principles  of 
honorable  dealing.  His  name  for  many 
years  has  not  been  held  in  high  favor  by 
stamp  collectors  on  account  of  certain  con- 
tracts, entered  into  in  1889,  between  him 
and  the  governments  of  some  of  the  Central 
American  States,  by  virtue  of  which  Mr. 
Seebeck  was  to  supply  them  with  a  new 
issue  of  stamps  in  each  of  the  ten  succeeding 
years,  receiving  in  payment  therefore,  on  the 
delivery  of  each  new  issue,  the  remainders  of 
the  stamps  of  the  preceding  one.  From  his 
standpoint  the  contract  was  an  ordinary 
business  transaction  and,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  the  jealousy  of  many  other 
parties,  no  such  odium  would  have  attached 
to  his  stamps  as  has  been  the  case  for  the 
past  four  or  five  years.  We  do  not  attempt 
to  defend  the  action  of  the  governments  who 
so  unnecessarily  increased  the  number  of 
stamps  in  existence,  but,  as  far  as  the  late 
Mr.  Seebeck  was  concerned,  he  was  certainly 
not  to  be  blamed  and  did  what  any  other 
business  man  would  have  done  if  a  similar 
opportunity  had  offered.  He  sold  out  his 
business  in  postage  stamps  early  in  the  year 
1884,  and  since  that  time  had  not  appeared 
in  the  field  as  dealer.  He  could  therefore 
not  be  expected  to  take  the  same  view  of 
unnecessary  stamp  issues  that  a  collector  or 
an  active  dealer  would  have  taken,  but 
simply  regarded  the  matter  from  the  stand- 
point of  a  business  man  who  was  entering 
into  a  favourable  contract." 


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The   Philatelic  Record 

AND    STAMP     NEWS. 


OCTOBER,     1899. 


Editorial    Notes. 


THE  Philatelic  Record  has  changed    hands.       It  has  been  purchased 
from  Messrs.  Buhl  &  Co.  by  the  "  Philatelic  Record  and  Stamp 
News    Company,    Ltd.,"    and  will    in    future    be 
The  Philatelic      conducted  as  an    independent  philatelic    journal, 
Eecord's  free  from  all  trade  trammels.     It  will  not  be  tied, 

New  Proprietors,     or    allied,   to   any  stamp  dealing   firm,  or  to  any 
one    philatelic    society.       It    is    now    owned    by 
philatelists   who   have   no  stamp  trade    connection   of    any    sort  or  kind 
to  hamper  their  control. 

For  the  sake  of  uniformity  the  remaining  numbers  of  the  present 
volume  will  be  completed  on  the  lines  of  the  numbers  already  published. 

But  an  entirely  new  series  will  be  commenced  with  the  first  number 
of  the  new  volume,  to  wit,  the  January  number,  which  will  commence  the 
volume  for  1900. 

Many  improvements  will  be  introduced  to  add  to  the  attractiveness  of 
the  new  Philatelic  Record.  Indeed,  we  can  promise  for  the  new  Company 
that  neither  effort  nor  expense  will  be  spared  to  make  the  journal  a 
worthy  representative  of  all  that  is  best  in  the  philatelic  pursuit.  Ample 
capital  has  been  provided  for  all  possible  emergencies,  in  addition  to  which 
the  new  Company  will  have  a  strong  reserve  of  uncalled  capital  for  any 
desirable  future  developments. 

Commencing  with  the  next  number  the  Philatelic  Record  will  be 
published  by  Sir  Isaac  Pitman  &  Sons,  the  well-known  educational 
publishers  of  Paternoster  Row,  E.C.,  and  it  will  be  obtainable  through 
any  bookseller  or  newsagent  in  any  part  of  the  country. 

The  new  series  will  be  printed  in  the  very  best  style  on  superior  paper, 
by  Messrs.  Pardy  &  Son,  of  Bournemouth,  whose  excellent  philatelic 
presswork  needs  no  commendation  from  us. 


1 82  The  Philatelic  Record. 


The  Stamps  of  Japan  from    1876. 

By  L.  W.  FULCHER. 


(From  the  London  Philatelist.) 

AS  far  as  I  am  aware  no  one  has  hitherto  attempted  to  draw  up  a 
reference  list  of  the  stamps  of  Japan  issued  since  1876,  i.e.,  since 
the  process  of  engraving  the  stamps  on  copper  plates  was  given 
up  for  the  more  expeditious  and  less  expensive  one  of  production 
from  electrotypes.  The  following  attempt  is  the  result  of  four  years'  work, 
and  is  entirely  drawn  up  from  a  study  of  the  stamps  themselves,  of  which 
I  have  examined  many  hundreds  of  specimens.  From  my  experience  of 
these  stamps  I  cannot  expect  that  it  is  complete  or  final,  but  I  hope  that 
it  will  serve  as  a  basis  for  their  future  classification.  I  have  endeavoured 
to  keep  down  the  number  of  varieties  as  much  as  possible,  and  I  feel  sure 
that  any  future  modifications  of  this  list  will  be  in  the  direction  of 
expansion  rather  than  of  condensation. 

I  have  just  a  few  preliminary  words  to  say  as  regards  (1)  paper,  (2) 
perforations. 

(1)  From  1876-1883  there  appears  to  have  been  no  attempt  to  secure 
uniformity  as  regards  paper.  The  paper  used  varies  considerably  in  thick- 
ness and  in  texture,  but,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  is  always  wove.  I 
find  it  impossible  to  catalogue  the  different  varieties,  and  I  have  therefore 
contented  myself,  with  one  exception,  with  dividing  it  into  (1)  thick,  and 
(2)  medium  to  thin.  It  seems  impossible  to  draw  a  line  between  medium 
and  thin,  while  very  thick  papers  are  readily  distinguishable.  Though  I 
have  ignored  the  texture  of  the  paper  in  general,  there  is  one  variety,  the 
exception  alluded  to  above,  which  is  so  conspicuous  that  it  is  certainly 
worthy  of  special  mention.  This  is  a  thin  bluish  white  surfaced  paper. 
It  seems  to  have  been  in  use  about  1878.  After  1883  the  paper  becomes 
more  uniform,  and  may  be  described  as  a  medium  white  wove  paper. 

(2)  As  regards  the  perforations,  I  may  say  that  I  have  not  come  to 
the  conclusions  below  without  much  labour,  although  I  am  aware  my 
arrangement  is  open  to  question.  I  have  endeavoured  to  make  the  matter 
as  simple  as  possible,  and  I  hope  that  collectors  will  at  any  rate  find  it 
useful  in  arranging  their  stamps  of  this  country.  Of  some  of  the  values 
1  have  measured  the  perforations  on  all  four  sides  of  over  one  thousand 
copies,  and  nearly  all  the  rest  of  several  hundreds.  I  at  first  tabulated 
the  results ;  but  finally,  after  careful  comparison,  I  think  all  the  essential 
perforations,  i.e.,  those  representing  different  machines,  may  be  arranged 
under  nine  groups. 


f       L 

Perf.  g£,  large  holes. 

1876 

or  earlier) 

II. 

{(2)  Perf:ii}Smallholes 

to 

III. 

Perf.  io£. 

1883. 

IV. 

Perf.  1 1  £-12. 

1     v. 

Perf.  12J. 

1883-1888.   . 

VI. 
VII. 

Perf.I9|Lareeholes- 

1888.            VIII. 

f  (1)  Perf.  i3£. 
1  (2)  Perf.  13. 

1893. 

IX. 

Perf.  1 1  £-12. 

Stamps  of  Japan.  183 


I  believe  that  these  each  represent  the  average  perforations  due  to  one 
machine,  except  in  the  cases  of  II.  and  VIII. ,  where  I  have  grouped  two 
perforations  together  for  consideration  which  appear  below.  I  should  also 
mention  that  these  groups  give  rise  to  a  number  of  compound  perforations, 
such  as  I.  with  II.  and  V.,  II.  with  IV.,  and  VIII.  (2)  with  IX.  All  the 
perforations  vary  considerably,  except  III.,  which,  however,  only  occurs  on 
a  few  stamps,  and  is  rare.     I  propose  to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  each  group. 

I.  Perf.  9£.  Large  holes,  1  mm.  in  diameter.  This,  I  think,  must  have 
been  intended  for  the  normal  perforation  of  the  issues  from  1876-1883,  as, 
it  was  the  first  to  appear,  and  is  found  on  all  the  stamps  except  the 
12  sen,  rose.  I  have  not  seen  or  heard  of  a  copy  of  this  stamp  with 
this  perforation,  but  I  know  of  no  reason  why  it  should  not  turn  up.  I  find 
big  blocks  of  these  stamps  hard  to  get,  but  by  measurement  of  the  lines 
of  perforations  on  a  sheet  of  the  1  sen,  red-brown,  in  my  possession  I 
obtained  a  gauge  of  9.6  to  9.9,  and  from  a  block  of  50  of  the  i  sen,  black, 
and  some  of  smaller  blocks,  9.3  to  9.8.  Single  stamps  will  be  found  to 
gauge  9,  g-|-,  10,  or  any  combination  of  these,  but  I  think  the  above 
measurements  show  that  in  all  probability  there  is  but  one  machine 
especially  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  extreme  variability  of  the 
paper  on  which  these  stamps  are  printed.  I  think  it,  then,  only  legitimate 
to  regard  all  these  perforations  as  due  to  one  machine.  There  is  a  little 
overlapping  in  this  case  with  VII.,  but  in  practice  this  will  not  be  found 
troublesome,  as  the  shades  of  the  stamps  will,  as  a  rule,  readily  distinguish 
the  two,  since  VII.  appeared  so  much  later  in  point  of  time  and  the  colours 
of  these  stamps  with  perf.  VII.  are  distinctive. 

In  the  list  below,  then,  "perf.  g-J  "  includes  9,9^,  10,9x9^,  9^X9, 
9x10,  10x9^,  etc. 

II.  There  is  a  small-hole  perforation,  holes  ^  mm.  in  diameter  and 
irregularly  placed,  which  is  common  in  the  lower  value.  If  these  are 
measured  it  will  be  found  that  the  vast  majority  gauge  either  9  or  11,  or  a 
combination  of  the  two,  but  also  occasionally  9^,  10,  10^,  and  n|-  may  be 
met  with,  usually  in  combination  with  9  or  n,  but  sometimes  alone.  I 
have  seen  a  sheet  of  the  \  sen,  grey,  of  1874  with  this  perf.  11,  but  in  no 
place  would  it  gauge  as  low  as  9,  so  I  am  forced  to  conclude  that  there  are 
at  least  two  machines.  Since  they  are  similar  in  appearance  I  have 
grouped  them  together.  It  is  possible  that  anything  up  to  10  may  be  found 
on  the  9  machine,  and  from  the  appearance  of  single  stamps  extremely 
likely  that  10^  and  11^  are  on  the  11  machine  ;  therefore  for  the  purpose  of 
this  list,  I  propose  to  call  "  perf.  9  "  anything  up  to  10,  and  everything 
over  that  "perf  11."  This  perforation  frequently  fails  to  penetrate  the 
paper,  especially  when  the  latter  is  thick,  and  then  it  often  looks  very  like  a 
pin-perforation.  I  cannot  satisfy  myself  that  a  true  pin- perforation  exists 
on  any  of  the  postage  stamps  of  Japan. 

III.  Perf.  \o\.  I  have  nothing  particular  to  say  about  this.  It  is 
clean-cut,  and  the  holes  appear  of  the  same  character  as  those  of  group  II., 
but  possibly  slightly  larger. 

IV.  Perf.  11^- — 12.  The  earlier  stamps  may  be  found  ni  all  round, 
12  all  round,  or  12  with  one  or  more  sides  n-J-.  I  think  these  varieties 
must  be  due  to  one  machine,  and  different  from  that  which  follows,  as  the 
tendency  of  V.  is  in  the  other  direction.  I  have  never  seen  a  block  or  even 
a  pair  of  stamps  with  this  perforation.  There  is  no  confusion  to  be  feared 
between  this  perforation  and  IX.,  as  they  do  not  appear  on  the  same 
stamps. 


184  The  Philatelic  Record. 

V.  Perf.  12$.  This  is  an  old  machine,  which  has  evidently  been  much 
used  on  the  earlier  engraved  stamps.  It  has  a  tendency  to  13,  but  not 
commonly. 

VI.  Perf.  n.  Large  holes,  irregular,  close  together,  varying  from  10$ 
to  11$.  It  seems  as  if  this  were  from  an  old  machine  occasionally  pressed 
into  service  at  busy  times.  The  2  sen  purple,  occurs  with  this  perforation, 
and  therefore  it  must  have  been  used  before  January  1st,  1883,  when  this 
stamp  was  superseded.  Nearly  a  whole  set  of  the  stamps  in  the  first  colours 
exists  with  this  perforation,  and  they  are  tolerably  rare,  particularly  so 
unused. 

This   perforation,  then,    includes   such    varieties   as    10^x11,    nxioj, 
11  x  n$,  11$  X  11. 

VII.  Perf.  9.  Large  holes.  This  is  a  well-known  perforation.  It  is 
mentioned  in  Stanley  Gibbons'  catalogue,  It  degenerates  to  8$  and  even 
8.  The  stamps  with  this  perforation  are  usually  in  very  deep  bright 
colours,  on  a  smooth  white  medium  wove  paper,  and  hence  conspicuous. 

"Perf.  9,  large  holes,"  then  include  the  varieties  8x8$,  8$xg, 
9x8$,  etc. 

VIII.  Perf.    13^-   was   chronicled  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Bacon  in  the  Philatelic 

Record,  vol.  x.  p.  209,  and  at  the  same  time  he  mentions  that  some   values 

occur  perf.  13.     I  have  not  been  able  to  find  big  blocks  of  stamps  with  this 

gauge,  but  quite  recently  there  has  been  a  perforation  in  use  which  gauges 

13  (it  occurs,  for  example,  on  the  "  War  stamps"),  with  a  tendency  to  12$  ; 

in  fact,   some  of  them  gauge  12$  all  round,  and  only  in  two  cases — the  3 

sen,  lilac-rose,  and  the  20  sen,  orange-red — have  I  found  13$  on  quite  recent 

stamps.     Again,   the  earlier  stamps  occasionally  gauge  14  on  one  or  more 

sides,  though  I  have  never  found  one  14  all  round.     Stamps  may  also  be 

found  13  x  13$  and  13$  x  13.     Hence   I   am  inclined  to  think  that  there  are 

really  two  machines,  one  gauging  from  13  to  14  and  the  other  from  12$  to 

13$.     Since  these  perforations  are  so  closely  allied  I  group  them  together, 

especially  as  all  the  stamps  found  with  13$  are  found   with  13,  except  in 

the  case  of  the  6  sen,  yellow-buff.     This  stamp  I  have  not  found  13.     If  it 

is  not  forthcoming,    it  will  be  further  evidence  that  the    13$  machine  is 

different  from  the  12  machine,  as  this  stamp  was  only  in  use  from  February 

to  the  19th   March,    1888.     The  earlier  stamps  are  also  met  with,  with  a 

blind  perforation  or  torn  with  a  jagged  edge,  not  measurable,  which  appears 

to  be  12$. 

In  the  list  below,  then,  "perf,  13J"  includes  the  varieties  13x13$, 
13^X13,  i3$X  14,  14 X  13$;  and  "perf,  13,"  12$,  12^x13,  13  x  12$,  13x13$, 
13^X13. 

IX.  Perf.  11$  to  12  is  the  correct  perforation.  Stamps  perf.  n$x  12, 
i2Xii$-  can  be  collected  if  desired. 

For  convenience  of  reference  I  tabulate  these  perforations,  their  com- 
moner variations,  and  the  compounds  found.  In  the  list  which  follows  I 
give  the  stamps  according  to  date  of  issue,  and  then  classify  them  by  per- 
forations, to  which  I  always  attach  the  same  letter  as  in  this  table. 

I.     A.  Perf.  9$,   large   holes.        Variations,   9,    9$,    10,  9x9$,   9$X9, 
9$X  10,  10x9$,  etc. 

II.     B.  Perf.  9,  small  holes.      Variations,  9$,  10,  g^x  10,  etc. 

C.  Perf.  11,  small  holes.      Varias.,  10$ x  11,  11  X  10$,  iixnj,  etc. 

D.  Compound  perf,  9x11,11x9,  small  holes. 

E.  Compound  of  A  and  B,  9$  x  9,  9x9$, 

F.  Compound  of  A  and  C,  9$  x  1 1 ,  1 1  X  9$. 


Stamps  of  Japan. 


185 


III.  G.  Perf.  io£. 

IV.  H.  Perf.  n£-   12.     Variations,  uf,  n|xi2,  i2Xii|,  12. 
I.  Compound  of  B.  and  H,  9  x  12,  12x9. 

J.  Compound  of  C  and  H,  11x12,  12x11. 

V.     K.  Perf.  12^.     Variations,  12^  x  13,  13  X  12^. 
L.  Compound  of  A  and  K,  g|xi 2^,  1 2  x 9^. 

VI.     M.  Perf.  11,  large  holes.     Varias.,  io-Jxu,  iixio|,  iixii-J,  etc. 
VII.     N.  Perf.  9,  large  holes.     Variations,  8|,  8  x  81,  8£  x  9,  9  X  81  etc. 

VIII.     O.  Perf.  i3i.     Variations,   131  xi 4,  14x131      )T.VTai    T-iVT- 
P.  Perf.  13.     Variations,  12-I,  12^x13,  13x121  )I3XI32'  J3tXi3. 

IX.     Q.  Perf.  11^ — 12.     Variations,  n£  x  12,  12  x  11^. 
R.  Compound  of  P  and  Q,  n^x  13,  13  X  11^. 

REFERENCE      LIST. 
1876-77. 

I.     A.     Perf.  gi,  large  holes. 

(1)  Very  thick  paper. 

1  sen,  black. 

2  „  yellowish  drab. 
2  ,,  greyish  drab. 

2  ,,  deep  bronze-green.  2.     B 

2  ,,  bronze-green. 

2  ,,  pale  bronze-green. 

(2)  Thick  paper. 

4  sen,  bluish-green. 

4  ,,     yellowish  green 
10     ,,     pale  chalky  blue. 
20     „     blue. 

(3)  Medium  to  thin  paper,  many  kinds. 

5  rin,  slate. 
5     ,,     grey. 
5     ,,     brownish  grey. 
1  sen,  black. 


I     , 

grey-black. 

2       , 

yellowish  drab. 

2       , 

,     greyish-drab. 

2       , 

.     deep  bronze-green. 

2       , 

,     bronze-green. 

2      , 

,     pale  bronze-green. 

4      . 

,     pale  green. 

4     . 

,     green. 

4     » 

yellowish-green. 

4     . 

,     blue-green. 

5     . 

,     dark-brown 

(soft  woolly  paper). 

5     » 

,     brown. 

6     , 

,     buff. 

8     , 

,     deep  purple-green. 

(soft  woolly  paper). 

8     , 

,     deep  purple-brown 

(smooth  paper). 

8     „     purple-brown. 

10     , 

,     blue. 

10     , 

,     dull  blue. 

10     , 

,     pale  blue. 

10 

,     pale  chalky-blue. 

10 

,     sky  blue. 

15 

,     pale  chalky-green. 

20 

,     blue. 

20 

,     deep  blue. 

30 

,     dull  violet. 

45 

,     carmine-rose. 

(4) 

Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

1 

sen, 

deep  black. | 

2 

4 

" 

bronze-green, 
pale  green. 

4 

,, 

blue-green. 

5 

.. 

brown. 

Perf.  9,  small  holes. 

(1)  Thick  paper. 

2 

10 

sen 
it 

greyish-drab, 
sky-blue. 

(2)  Medium  paper. 

1 

sen 

black. 

2 

,, 

greyish-drab. 

2 
10 

,, 

bronze-green, 
blue. 

Perf.  11.  small  holes. 

(1)  Thick  paper. 

5 

1 

rin, 

sen 

slate-grey, 
black. 

2 
2 

' 

greyish-drab, 
bronze-green. 

4 
5 

' 

deep  blue-green.* 
brown. 

10 

, 

blue. 

(2)  Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  black. 

1  ,,     grey-black. 

2  ,,     greyish-drab. 
2     ,,     bronze-green. 

2     ,,     pale  bronze-green. 

(3)  Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

1  sen,  deep  black. 

2  ,,     bronze-green. 
4     ,,     green. 

4.     D.     Perf.  compound  of  D.  and  C. 

(a)  gx  11,  (b)  11x9. 
(1)  Thick  paper. 

*  The  4  sen  blue-green,  with  perforations  C  and 
D    contains  a   very  soluble    yellow   pigment,  which 
is     rapidly    removed    when    the    stamp    is   wetted. 
I    Hence  used  copies  are  usually  blue. 


i86 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


i  sen,  black  (a). 

2  ,,     greyish-drab  (a)  (b). 

2  ,,     bronze-green  (a)  (b). 

4  ,,     blue-green  *  (a). 

(2)  Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  black  (a)  (b). 

2  ,,     greyish-drab  (a)  (b). 

4  ,,     blue-green*  (b). 

5.  E.     Per/,  compound  of  A  and  B. 

(a)  9J  (large)  xg  (small). 

(b)  9  (small)  xg%  (large). 
Medium  to  thin  paper. 

5  rin,  slate-grey. 

1  sen,  black. 

2  ,,     greyish-drab. 

6.  F.     Per/,  compound  of  A  and  C. 

(a)  gj  (large)  Xii   (small), 
(a)   11   (small)xg^  (large). 

(1)  Thick  paper. 

1  sen,  black,  (a). 

(2)  Medium  to  thin  paper. 

1  sen,  black  (a)  (b). 

2  ,,     greyish  drab  (a)   (b). 
5     ,,     brown  (b). 

12     ,,     pale  rose  (b). 

15     ,,     pale  chalky  green  (b). 

7.  G.     Perf.  10J. 

(1)  Medium  paper. 
1  sen,  black. 
(2)  Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

1  sen,  black. 

2  ,,     bronze-green. 

8.  H.     Perf.  n J  to  12. 

(1)  Medium  to  thin  paper. 

5  rin,  grey. 

1  sen,  black. 

2  ,,     drab. 

2     ,,     bronze-green. 

2     „     pale  bronze-green. 

(2)   Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

1  sen,  black. 
4     ,,     green. 

9.  I.     Perf.  compound  of  B  and  H. 

(a)  gx  12,  (b)  12x9. 
(1)  Thick  paper. 

2  sen,  pale  bronze-green  (a). 
2     ,,     bronze-green  (b). 

(2)  Medium  paper). 

2  sen,  pale  bronze-green  (b). 

10.  J.     Perf.  compound  of  C  and  H. 

(a)  11  x  12,  (b)  12X  11. 
(1)  Thick  paper. 

1  sen,  black  (a). 

2  ,,     pale  bronze-green  (a)  (b). 


11.  K.  Perf.  12J  (inclining  to  B). 

(1)   Medium  to  thin  paper. 

1  sen,  black. 

1  ,,     grey-black. 

2  ,,     deep  bronze-green. 
2     ,,     bronze-green. 

2     ,,     pale  bronze-green. 

4  ,,     green. 

5  ,,     brown. 

8     ,,     purple-brown. 
10     ,,     pale  chalky  blue. 

(2)  Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

1  sen,  black. 

2  ,,     bronze-green. 
5     ,,     brown. 

12.  L.     Perf.  compound  of  A  and  K. 

(a)  g£xi2£,  (b)  i2jxgi. 
(1)  Medium  to  thin  paper. 

1  sen,  deep  black  (a)  (b). 

2  ,,     bronze-green  (a)  (b). 
5     ,,     brown  (a). 

8     ,,     purple-brown  (b). 

(2)  Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

1  sen,  deep  black  (a). 

2  ,,     bronze-green  (a) 

June,  1879. 

1.  A.     Perf.  9|,  large  holes. 

(1)  Medium  woolly  paper. 

3  sen,  orange. 

3     ,,     deep  orange. 
50     ,,     carmine. 

(2)  Medium  smooth  paper. 

3  sen,  dull  salmon. 
50     ,,     carmine. 
50     ,,     scarlet. 

(3)  Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 

3  sen,  salmon-pink. 
3     „     yellow. 
50     ,,     carmine. 

2.  C.     Perf  11,  small  holes. 

Thin,  bluish  white  paper. 
3  sen,  salmon-pink. 
50     ,,     carmine-rose. 
50     ,,     carmine. 

November,  1879. 
1.     A.     Perf.  9 J,  large  holes. 
(1)  Thick  paper. 

1  sen,  red-brown  (deep  to  pale). 

2  ,,     purple. 

(2)    Medium  to  thin  paper. 

1  sen,  red-brown  (deep  to  pale). 

1  ,,     light  red. 

2  ,,     purple  (deep  to  pale). 

2     ,,     blue-purple  (deep  to  pale). 
2     ,,     red-purple  (deep  to  pale). 


Stamps  of  Japan. 


187 


B 


G 


H 


K 


Per/.  9,  small  holes. 
Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  red-brown. 

2  ,,     purple. 

Per}.  io£. 

Medium  paper. 
2  sen,  red-purple. 

Perf.  n£  to  12. 

Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  deep  red-brown. 

2  ,,     purple. 
2     ,,     lilac. 

Perf.  1 2 J. 

Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  deep  red-brown. 

1  „     light  red. 

2  ,,     blue-purple. 
2     ,,     red-purple. 

L.     Perf.  compound  of  A  and  K,  9$  x  12^ 
Medium  paper. 

2  sen,  purple. 
M.     Perf.  11,  large  holes. 

2  sen,  bluish  purple. 

1  January,  1883. 

A.     Perf.  9^,  large  holes. 

Medium  paper. 

sen,  pale  blue-green. 
,,     blue-green. 
,,     green. 
,,     bright  green. 
,,     dark  green. 
,,     carmine. 
,,     carmine-rose. 
,,     rose. 
,,     scarlet. 
„     dull  blue, 
grey-blue. 


slate-blue, 
ultramarine, 
greenish  blue. 

2.  G.     Perf.  io£. 

Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  green. 

2  ,,     rose. 
5     ,,     blue. 

3.  H.     Perf.  11 J  to  12. 

Medium  paper. 

1  sen,  blue-green. 

2  ,,     pale  rose. 

1883-1888. 
1.     M.     Perf.  11,  large  holes. 
Medium  paper. 
5  rin,  grey. 

1  sen,  green. 

1  ,,     bluish  green. 

2  ,,     carmine-rose. 


2  sen 

,  rose. 

4     » 

green. 

5     ., 

dull  blue. 

5     ». 

ultramarine. 

6     ,, 

orange. 

8     „ 

purple-brown. 

10     ,, 

pale  blue. 

15     .. 

green. 

15     » 

yellow-green. 

20     ,, 

deep  blue. 

30     „ 

(?) 

50     „ 

pale  scarlet. 

I  have  no 

seen  a  copy  of  the  30  sen  with 

this   perforation,    but    I    have   heard   of  its 

existence,  which  is  highly  probable. 

1885  (?)• 

1.     N.  perf. 

9  large  holes. 

5  rin. 

slate. 

5     » 

grey. 

1  sen 

blue-green. 

1     ,, 

pale  blue-green. 

1     i) 

bright  green. 

1     ,, 

green. 

2     ,, 

carmine. 

2     ,, 

carmine-ro6e. 

2     ,, 

rose. 

2     ,, 

scarlet. 

4         >! 

pale  blue-green. 

5     „ 

dull  blue. 

5     ,. 

grey-blue. 

5     ,, 

slate-blue. 

5     » 

ultramarine. 

5     ,. 

greenish  blue. 

5     ., 

light  blue. 

6     „ 

deep  orange. 

8     „ 

deep  purple-brown. 

8     „ 

pale  purple-brown. 

i°     » 

pale  blue. 

10     ,, 

deep  blue. 

12     ,, 

deep  rose. 

*5     » 

deep  green. 

15     .. 

green. 

15     .. 

pale  yellow-green. 

20     ,, 

blue. 

20     ,, 

deep  blue. 

30         .! 

bright  lilac. 

3D         „ 

bright  mauve. 

45     - 

carmine. 

50     >• 

carmine-rose. 

50     „ 

scarlet. 

February,    1888. 

0.  Perf. 

13^.     Medium  to  thin  paper. 

P.  Perf. 

13- 

5  rin» 

slate. 

5    ,. 

grey. 

5    » 

brownish  grey. 

1  sen 

,  dark  green. 

1     .. 

green. 

1     ,. 

pale  green. 

1     ,, 

yellowish  green. 

2     ,, 

carmine. 

2     ,, 

carmine-rose. 

2     ,, 

scarlet. 

4     » 

pale  blue-green. 

4     .. 

blue-green. 

5     .. 

sky-blue. 

i88 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


5  sen, 

blue. 

3  sen,  bright  lilac-rose. 

5     .. 

light  blue. 

4     ,,     pale  olive-brown. 

6     „ 

yellow-buff. 

4     „     deep  bistre. 

8     „ 

deep  purple-brown. 

5     ,,     light  blue. 

IO     ,, 

pale  blue. 

8     „     lilac. 

10     ,, 

blue. 

8     ,,     lavender. 

15     -. 

dull  green. 

10     ,,     brown-ochre. 

20      ,, 

dark  blue. 

J5     i>     bright  violet. 

50      „ 

carmine-rose. 

20     ,,     orange-red. 

I  have  not  seen  the  6  sen  perf.  13. 

25     ,,     emerald-green. 

30     ,,     chestnut. 

March,  1888. 

1  yen,  carmine. 

Perf.  as  last. 

i89(?). 

4  sen 

,  deep  olive-brown. 

R.     Perf.  compound  of  P  and  Q. 

4     ii 

pale  olive-brown. 

(a)  11  or  i2^x  13,  (b)  13  x  11 J  or  12. 

4     .» 
8     „ 

bistre. 

lilac. 

4  sen,  pale  olive-brown  (a). 

8     ,, 

bright  lilac, 
deep  plum. 

15     ,,     violet  (b). 

8     „ 

50     ,,     chestnut  (a). 

8     „ 

lavender. 

Possibly  a  full   set  occurs  with  this  com- 

10    „ 

brown-ochre. 

pound  perforation. 

15     .. 

dull  mauve. 

15     .. 

violet. 

1894.     Silver   Wedding    Stamps. 

20     ,, 

orange  (aniline). 

(a)  Perf.  13  (P),  (b)  Perf.  11$  or  12  (Q). 

20     ,, 

orange-yellow  (aniline). 

. 

20     ,, 
25     >. 

orange-red  (1895). 
emerald-green. 

2  sen,  carmine  (a)  (b). 
5     ,,     blue  (a)  (b). 

50     .. 

chocolate. 

1896.     Commemorative  War  Stamps. 

50     „ 
1  yen 

chestnut. 

,  carmine. 

(a)  Perf  13  (P),  (b)  Perf  11}  or  12  (Q), 

1892.  Perf.  as  last. 

(c)  Perf.  compound  13x11$  or  12  (R). 
Portrait  of  Prince  Ketashiragawa. 

3  sen 

pale  lilac-rose. 

2  sen,  carmine  (6). 

1893.     Q.     Perf.   n$-i2. 

Portrait  of  Prince  Arisugawa. 

Medium  wove  paper. 

2  sen,  carmine  (a)  (b)  (c) 

5  rin 

deep  grey. 

Portrait  of  Prince  Ketashiragawa. 

5     -. 
1  sen 

olive-grey. 
,  green. 

2  sen,  violet-blue  (a)  (b)  (c). 

1     ,, 

pale  green. 

Portrait  of  Prince  Arisugawa. 

1  .. 

2  ,, 

olive-green  (1897). 
carmine. 

5  sen,  violet-blue  (a)  (b)  (c). 

2     ,, 

scarlet. 

I   have   not  paid  much  attention  to  these 

3     ,. 

pale  lilac-rose. 

Commemorative  Stamps. 

Correspondence. 


189 


Correspondence. 


Railway     Letter     Stamps. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Philatelic  Record. 


Dear   Sir, 

In  a  recent  number  of  your  journal,  I 
notice  a  few  remarks  concerning  Railway 
Letter  Stamps,  which  are  to  some  extent 
misleading. 

The  statement  that  the  stamps  are  not 
Government  issues  is  only  correct  in  that  the 
Government  does  not  pay  the  printers'  bill. 
The  stamps  are  issued  on  behalf  of  the  Post 
Office,  and  may  only  be  used  to  frank  Post 
Office  letters.  In  the  words  of  the  Post  Office 
Gtiide,  "  Railway  letters  will  be  deemed  to 
be  in  all  respects  letters  sent  by  post,"  and 
all  regulation  ;  appertaining  to  their  trans- 
mission are  drawn  up  by  the  Post  Office. 

It  was  originally  intended  that  the  Post 
Office  should  issue  the  current  threepenny 
postage  stamp  with  an  appropriate  sur- 
charge, the  companies  receiving  two-thirds 
of  the  revenue  derived  from  its  sale.  But 
this  was  found  to  be  impracticable,  owing 
to  the  large  number  of  companies  and  the 
difficulty  of  ascertaining  their  respective 
shares. 

Although  it  was  thus  found  necessary  for 
the  companies  to  produce  their  own  stamps, 
the  Post  Office  insisted  on  uniformity  of 
design,  value,  inscription  and  colour,  and 
although  irregularities  may  have  been  in  a 
few  cases  overlooked,  yet  in  the  most  im- 
portant of  such  cases — the  red  stamps  of  the 
North-Eastern — the  sale  was  stopped,  and 
the  remaining  stock  ordered  to  be  destroyed, 
thus  showing  that  the  interest  of  the  Post 
Office  in  the  stamps  was  greater  than  that 
of  the  issuing  company.  I  maintain  that  the 
stamps  are  in  every  way  local  postage 
stamps,  and  far  more  collectable  than  official 
stamps,  which  may  not  be  used  by  the  public 
at  all. 

With  regard  to  the  second  matter,  you 
state  :  '•  We  are  well  aware  that  these  labels 
have  been  '  boomed  '  beyond  all  proportion 
to  their  possible  value,  and  we  want  to 
know  who  regulates  these  fancy  prices  of  10s. 
to  30s.  each  ....  and  who  pays 
them  ?  "  This  remark  is  very  ill-considered. 
There  are  a  large  number  of  interested  and 
advanced  collectors  of  these  stamps,  and  it 
is  absurb  to  say  that  a  variety  of  which  per- 
haps ten  copies  or  less  are  known  is  over- 
valued at  30s.  I  am,  perhaps,  personally 
responsible    for  most    of    the    present    day 


quotations  for  three  stamps,  but  these  have 
only  been  made  with  due  regard  to  the  state 
of  the  market  and  the  demand  amongst 
collectors  themselves,  and  I  am  open  to 
purchase  any  varieties  with  a  fair  discount 
on  such  quotations.  Thirty  shillings  is  an 
extremely  low  valuation  when  applied  to 
the  rarest  varieties,  four  specimens  in  my 
private  collection  having  alone  cost  me 
£15  cash. 

Unused  copies  of  the  earlier  issues  should 
be  considered  very  cheap  at  present  rates, 
as  official  sources  are  now  exhausted,  and  as 
the  stamps  have  never,  or  very  rarely,  been 
sold  to  the  public,  no  further  source  of  sup- 
ply remains  in  existence.  After  the  market 
has  settled  down,  they  must  continually 
become  scarcer.  Used  copies,  too,  have 
beed  spread  over  so  large  an  area  that  it  is 
difficult  to  collect  any  considerable  quantity. 

If  any  further  proof  were  needed  that  the 
Post  Office  considers  the  Railway  Letter 
Stamps  on  a  par  with  its  ordinary  issues,  I 
may  refer  to  the  fact  that  when  such  letters 
pass  through  a  Post  office,  the  railway  stamp 
is  cancelled  as  well  as  the  other,  although 
the  Post  Office  is  noted  for  its  avoidance  of 
labels  of  a  foreign  nature. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  state  that  up  to  the 
present  141  "standard"  varieties  of  Railway 
Letter  Stamps  have  been  issued  by  97  com- 
panies, and  that  all  except  27  are  readily 
obtainable.     Four  are  still  unknown,  viz. : — 

1. — Ayrshire  and  Wigtownshire. 
2. — Finn  Valley  and  West  Donegal. 
3. — Pembroke  and  Tenby,  rouletted. 
4. — Barry  Dock  and  Railways,  perf. 

The  four  rarest  "  standard "  varieties 
known  are  the  following  : — 

5. — Portpatrick    and    Girvan    Joint    (3 

used). 
6. — Barry  Dock  and  Railways,  rouletted, 

strip  of  three,  unused,  known. 
7. — Finn  Valley,  about  six,  known,  used. 
8. — City  of  Glasgow  Union,   six  unused 

and  one  used,  known. 

For  the  first  copy  discovered  of  the  latter, 
I  offered  £y  10s.  which  was  refused. 

Yours  faithfully, 

H.  L.  Ewen. 


i  go 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Philately   in  the   Mags. 


German  Secret  Paper 
Markings. 

M.  Maury  writes  in  Le  Collectionneur 
dc  T.P. : 

Some  time  ago  I  remarked  that  the  cur- 
rent German  stamps  had  in  their  gum  a 
succession  of  horizontal  bars,  which  become 
visible,  in  a  pale  rose  tint,  when  placed  in 
concentrated  ammonia.  Just  lately  I  wanted 
to  repeat  the  experiment  so  that  I  might  get 
an  exact  illustration  of  these  bars,  when  I 
found,  to  my  surprise,  that  a  change  had 
taken  place.  Each  of  the  current  stamps 
had,  instead  of  these  bars,  four  little  designs, 
viz.,  a  posthorn  in  the  upper  left  and  lower 
right  corners,  and  the  German  Arms  vice- 
versa.  They  were  only  visible  for  about  ten 
seconds,  and  were  extremely  difficult  to  see, 
for  the  ammonia  had  a  very  disagreeable 
effect  on  the  eyes  and  nose,  and  the  paper 
being  transparent  when  soaked,  the  color  of 
the  stamp  interfered  with  the  appearance  of 
the  secret  marks. 

Commenting  on  this  the  Monthly 
Circular  remarks  : 

This,  however,  is  not  a  new  discovery,  for 
it  was  noted  at  least  as  early  as  1894.  ^n 
Westoby's  Postage  Stamps  of  Europe  the 
history  is  given  as  follows : 

"  From  the  commencement  of  the  series 
down  to  1892  the  impression  was  on  white 
wove  paper,  on  the  back  of  which  horizontal 
bars  were  printed  with  phenolphthalein, 
which  were  quite  visible  when  acted  upon  by 
certain  chemicals.  Since  1892  the  sheets 
have  been  printed  on  the  face  with  a  design, 
repeated  as  often  as  requisite,  consisting  of 
a  crown  in  the  upper  left  and  a  posthorn  in 
the  lower  right,  whilst  in  the  upper  right  and 
lower  left  are  the  Arms.  This  also  is  printed 
with  phenolphthalein,  which,  from  its  name, 
we  conclude  to  be  a  compound  of  phenol  and 
a  hydrocarbon." 

It  is  clear  that  the  idea  of  the  marks  being 
in  the  gum  is  altogether  wrong.  But  there 
is  a  discrepancy  in  the  two  descriptions,  for 
M.  Maury  says  nothing  of  the  crown.  We 
have  made  the  experiment  with  a  number  of 
unused  stamps,  but  without  being  able  to 
distinguish  any  details  of  the  design,  except 
on  the  small  white  spaces  which  divide  the 
panes  on  the  sheets.  Perhaps  some  other 
chemical  than  ammonia  would  bring  out  the 
design  more  clearly,  or  it  may  be  that  photo- 
graphy might  be  of  use  in  the  case  of  the  20 
pfennig  stamp,  where  the  actinic  blue  is  in 
contrast  with  the  rose. 


The  New  U.S  Cubans. 

The  Metropolitan  Philatelist,  in  its  issue 
of  the  26th  August,  1899,  announces 
that  the  first  shipment  of  the  new 
Cuban  stamps  has  been  made.  It 
appears  that  the  whole  supply  could 
not  be  finished  in  time,  but  as  the 
Bureau  had  promised  to  have  them 
ready  by  the  20th  of  the  month,  they 
shipped  on  the  19th  August — 

1,500,000  re,  2,000,000  2c,  400,000  3c, 
1,800,000  5c,  400,000  ioc.  and  50,000  special 
delivery  stamps,  together  with  the  postage 
due  stamps  recently  chronicled.  The  balance 
of  this  order  is  to  be  sent  out  shortly.  The 
plates  are  still  at  press.  We  complete  the 
list  of  Cuban  plate  Nos.  by  adding  the 
following,  which  are  listed  for  the  first  time  : 

900  ioc.  Cuba.        904  2c.  ordinary. 

901  5c.       ,,  905  2C.  „ 

902  5C.         ,,  906    2C.  ,, 

903  5C.         „  907    2C.  ,, 

908  ioc.  Cuba,  special  delivery. 

909  2C.  ordinary. 

910  2C.  ,, 

There  are  four  plates  each  of  the  re,  2c, 
3c.  and  5c,  but  only  one  each  of  the  ioc. 
and  the  special  delivery.  There  will  be  a 
comparatively  small  supply  of  these  latter 
denominations  needed,  and  for  this  reason 
they  will  be  printed  on  hand  presses. 


Government  Remainders. 

We  take  the  following  particulars  con- 
cerning Government  Remainders  from  the 
Monthly  Journal  : 

Jamaica. 

The  Crown  Agents  for  the  Colonies  tell  us 
that  they  are  instructed  by  the  Government  of 
Jamaica  to  dispose  of  the  following  stamps, 
&c.     The  face  values  are  as  follows  : — 


£ 

856 

7 
149 

6 


2s.  Stamps    . 

is.       ,, 

3d.  Post  Cards 

id. 

i£d.         ,,  ..090 

The  stamps  are  printed  on  "  Crown  and 
CO"  paper  and  the  post  cards  are  of  obsolete 
patterns,  and  the  majority  of  both  stamps 
and  cards  are  in  good  condition.  No  ofler 
under  face  value  will  be  accepted. 

The  following  is  also  from  the  Crown 
Agents  for  the  Colonies  : — 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


191 


"  We  should  be  much  obliged  if  you  would 
inform  us  whether  there  is  any  market  for 
Jamaica  '  official'  stamps,  and  whether,  in 
your  opinion,  there  would  be  any  chance  of 
obtaining  face  value,  to  the  extent  of,  say, 
£1600  (the  duties  are  about  £d.,  £650  ;  id., 
^"570 ;  2d.,  £380)  for  some  obsolete  stamps 
of  this  description. 

"The  particular  stamps  in  question  are 
ordinary  postage  overprinted  with  the  word 
'  Official '  in  ordinary  type." 

Montenegro. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  recently 
received  which  speaks  for  itself.  Attention 
should  be  drawn  to  the  fact  that  it  is 
mentioned  that  the  Montenegro  Govern- 
ment will  hand  over  the  dies  of  their  stamps, 
and  therefore  reprints  are  possible.  As  it 
does  not  state  that  the  dies  have  been 
cancelled,  I  should  advise-my  friends  to  leave 
these  stamps  severely  alone.  The  discount 
will  have  to  be  very  heavy  indeed — practically 
waste  paper  price — if  the  authorities  wish  to 
succeed  in  selling  this  rubbish. 

"  Unused  Montenegrin  Postage  Stamps. 
Issue  1896. 

"  Jubilee  de  la  dynastie  P etrovich-N iegushi . 

"  Dear  Sirs,  —  Our  correspondents  in 
Montenegro  write  us  that  their  Government 
wishes  to  sell  their  stock  of  the  above 
stamps,  to  the  value  of  about  2^  million 
florins,  with  a  heavy  discount,  and  they  will 
also  hand  over  the  dies  &c,  and  give  a 
guarantee  that  these  stamps  will  not  be 
issued  again  in  any  form,  so  that  nobody 
can  get  them. 

"  If  you  are  interested  in  these  we  should 
be  glad   to   hear  what   offer  you  would  be 


prepared  to  make  for  the  whole  lot  or  for  a 
part. 

"  Awaiting  your  reply, 


Egypt. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Postmaster- 
General  of  Egypt  is  rather  interesting.  It 
is  one  of  the  very  few  cases  indeed  that  I 
have  met  with  of  a  Government  offering  for 
sale  used  postage  stamps  : 

"  Sir, — I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you 
that  this  Administration  will  sell,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  funds  of  the  Postal  Benevolent 
Society, obliterated  Egyptian  postage  stamps, 
taken  off  correspondence  and  parcels  despatch 
notes,  which  have  been  destroyed  after  the 
prescribed  delay. 

"  The  approximate  quantity  of  stamps  to 
be  sold  is  as  follows : 


Stamps 
*» 

M 

of 

10  Piastres        .         .     10,000 
5         „              .              95.°o° 
2         ,,     Issue  1893     38,000 
2         „         „     1879       2,300 
1  Piastre         .         .  120,000 
5  Milliemes     .         .     35,000 

Total         .         .  300,300 

"  Offers  may  be  made  for  the  whole  lot  or 
for  part. 

"  In  the  latter  case  the  price  per  1000 
must  be  given  for  each  variety. 

"  The  prices  will  be  for  stamps  delivered 
in  Alexandria  only,  in  the  present  condition, 
and  not  packed. 

"  Packing  and  posting  to  be  at  buyer's 
cost.  Terms:  cash  to  be  paid  on  delivery 
of  stamps. 

'•  Offers  must  be  sent  in  sealed  envelopes, 
with  the  mention,  '  Offer  for  Obliterated 
Stamps." 


192 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


Asenjos  alias  Seebecks. 

As  we  have  anticipated,  the  patti- 
*ing  States  of  Central  America  are 
not  likely  to  abandon  the  Seebeck 
arrangement  for  milking  stamp  flats. 
According  to  the  Philatelic  Monthly  and 
World,  a  contract  has  been  entered  into 
between  the  Government  of  Nicaragua 
and  Dr.  Maximo  Asenjo,  which  re- 
sembles in  many  respects  the  Seebeck 
contract. 

It  is  made  for  a  term  of  ten  years,  during 
which  the  Doctor  agrees  to  furnish  stamps 
without  cost  to  the  number  of  3,400,000 
every  year.  There  are  to  be  13  postage 
stamps  from  ic.  to  5p.,  10  official  stamps 
from  ic.  to  5p.,  7  postage  due  stamps  from 
ic.  to  50c,  and  8  telegraph  stamps  from  10c. 
to  3  pesos.  Also  cards  2,  4,  6,  12c,  stamped 
envelopes,  5,  10,  20,  30,  50.,  and  bands,  2,  4c. 

The  government  is  to  supply  the  design 
and  the  workmanship  must  be  of  the  best 
quality.  The  3c,  6c.  and  15c.  stamps  must 
be  in  the  Postal  Union  colors.  Each  year 
1,000  stamps  will  be  issued  to  commemorate 
some  historical  event  and  they  shall  be 
current  for  one  day  only. 

Each  year  the  Doctor  is  to  receive  50,000 
complete  sets  of  all  varieties  cancelled. 
This  contract  may  be  transferred  to  any 
other  person  or  company,  and  it  is  said  that 
these  stamps  will  probably  be  made  in 
Germany.  The  contract  is  dated  May  n, 
1899. 


U.S. 


Twelve  Months 
Supply. 


The  Metropolitan  Philatelist  publishes 
the  following  detailed  list  of  the  stamps 
which  the  U.S.  Bureau  has  been  ordered 
to  prepare  during  the  coming  fiscal 
year.  This  order  is  based  on  the 
supply  consumed  during  the  past  twelve 
months: — 


IC. 

875,000,000 

2C. 

2,900,000,000 

3C 

30,000,000 

4c. 

31,000,000 

5C 

53,000,000 

6c. 

8,300,000 

IOC 

19,950,000 

15c. 

3,000,000 

50c. 

200,000 

#1 

33.000 

«2 

13,000 

$5 

2,  OOO 

IOC, 

spec 

al  del,  6,000,000 

IC, 

due, 

7,200,000 

2C 

13,080,000 

3C 

800,000 

5C 

1,950,000 

IOC. 

2,920,000 

30c 

5,000 

50c 

1,000 

f  f  y 


Notices. 


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The   Philatelic  Record 

AND     STAMP     NEWS. 


NOVEMBER,     1899. 


Editorial    Notes. 


'OR  two  years  "  the  J.  W.  Scott  Co.,  of  New  York,  informs  us  they 
have  "  offered  to  purchase  every  uncancelled   U.S.  stamp 
Honesty   issued  before  1875,  at  a  discount  of  25  per  cent,  from  cata- 
in        logue  price."     This  they  assure  us  "  was  not  for  stamps 
Dealing,    the  Company  wanted,  but  for  every  stamp  collectors  de- 
sired to  sell."     They  report  that  the  result  was  that  during 
the  entire  two  years  they  bought  about  500  dollars  worth  from  Europe  and 
less  than  50  dollars  in  the  entire  United  States. 

Commenting  on  this,  they  very  pertinently  remark  that  "  all  the 
stamp  business  ever  wanted  was  confidence  among  collectors  and  honesty 
among  dealers,"  to  which  we  heartily  agree. 

In  a  recent  issue  of  their  trade  organ,  the  Metropolitan  Philatelist,  the 
firm  go  further  and  announce  that  they  have  agreed  "to  re-purchase  any 
stamps  they  sell  at  a  reduction  of  ten  per  cent,  from  price  paid."  To  secure 
the  working  of  this  arrangement,  they  register  the  stamps  and  sign  a 
written  guarantee  to  purchase,  good  at  any  time. 


Mr.  Hadlow,  the  well-known  auctioneer,  of  331,  Strand,  W.C., 
A    Hovel       whose  scrupulous  integrity  and  promptitude  have  made  him 
Commission     friends  in  all  directions,  is  making  a  novel  experiment  in  the 
Experiment,     matter  of  commissions  for  buying  for  collectors   at    Stamp 
Auctions.     He  announces  his  intention  of  personally  attend- 
ing the  London  auctions  for  the  purpose  of  giving  his  experiment  a  fair 
trial.     He  believes  he  can  buy,  on  the  average,  at  a  rate  which  will  yield 
him   a  fair  return  on  a  charge  of  "10  per  cent,  on  the  difference  beween 
the  bid  authorised  by  his  customer,  and  the  price  at  which  he  secures  the 
lot."     Example  : — 

Bid,  £5.         Purchase,  £3.  — Commission,  4/- 
„     £s-  »         £5-=  1,  Nil. 


194  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Envelopes  of  Tonga 


By    A.    F.    BASSET    HULL. 


STAMPED   ENVELOPES.— I.  The  Letter  Sheet. 

THE  Interim  Report  contains  an  entry  by  Mr.  Campbell,  under 
date  ist  January,  1892  : 
810  Env.  Letters,  id.  $16  3  6. 
This  I  believe  to  be  the  only  supply  of  this  curious  letter-sheet 
obtained.  It  is  of  cream  wove  paper,  folded  in  the  shape  of  an  envelope, 
but  unfastened.  The  flap  is  pointed  and  embossed  with  the  Arms  of 
Tonga  in  carmine,  surrounded  by  an  oval  band,  inscribed  "  Postage — One 
Penny"  above,  and  "Tonga"  below,  in  white  letters  on  reticulated 
ground.  The  colour  of  this  band  is  vermilion.  On  the  address  side  the 
words 

TONGAN 
ENVELOPE  LETTER 

are  printed  at  the  top,  rather  to  the  left  ;  and  in  the  left  lower  corner  th  e 
following  inscription  :  "  This  envelope  is  intended  for  use  within  the 
kingdom  only,  and  must  not  contain  any  enclosure."  All  the  inscriptions 
on  the  address  side  are  in  black.  The  size  of  the  "Envelope  Letter" 
folded  is  119  x80mm.  Stanley  Gibbons' catalogue  mentions  a  variety  on 
rose.     This  I  have  never  seen  or  heard  of  otherwise. 

id.     Carmine  and  vermilion  on  cream. 

REGISTRATION     ENVELOPES. 

In  the  Interim  Report,  Column  A,  Mr.  Campbell's  first  entry  relating 
to  registered  envelopes  is  : 

1891.     Oct.  1.        Reg.  Env.,   large,  6d.      $250     o     o. 
The  Commission  of  Inquiry,  however,  entered  in  Column  B  : 

1891.     Aug.  30.     2,000  Reg.  Env.,  large     $250     o     o. 
1,000     ,,         „      small       125     8     o. 

Here  I  am  faced  with  a  little  difficulty,  in  that  I  believe  the  first  type, 
with  large  arms  printed  on  flap,  exists  only  in  one  size.  Mr.  A.  M.  Camp- 
bell, late  Chief  Postmaster  of  Tonga,  sent  me  a  copy  which  he  stated  was 
issued  on  the  ist  September,  1891,  a  date  which  would  correspond  with 
the  Commissioners'  amended  entry,  but  which  would  be  a  month  earlier 
than  Mr.  Campbell's  own  entry. 

The  description  of  this  envelope  is  as  follows :  The  Arms  of  Tonga 
(in  very  large  size  and  coarsely  drawn)  are  type-printed  on  the  flap,  with 
"  Tonga  Registration  "  in  an  arch  above,  and  "  6d."  at  each  side.  On  the 
address  side  there  is  a  block  "  R  "  in  thick  outlined  oval  in  the  upper  left 
corner  ;  "  Tonga — Registered  Letter  "  in  two  lines  in  the  centre  ;  and  a 
rectangular  framed  space  for  postage  stamp  in  the  right  upper  corner. 
Crossed  dividing  lines  separate  the  N  from  the  G  of  "Tonga,"  and 
"  Registered"  from  "Letter."     Arms,  inscriptions, and  lines  are  all  in  the 


Envelopes  of  Tonga.  195 

one  shade  of  red,  and  were  apparently  all  printed  in  one  operation.  The 
paper  is  bluish  wove,  linen  lined  ;  rounded  flap,  with  broad  brown  gum. 
Size,  154x96  mm. 

Moens  gives  the  size  of  this  envelope  on  bluish  as  117x81  mm.,  but 
this  is  evidently  an  error,  as  that  is  his  measurement  for  the  little  letter- 
sheet.  He  also  chronicles  the  same  stamp  on  white  envelopes  in  two 
sizes — 153x97,  and  225x111  mm.  Stanley  Gibbons  catalogues  this  first 
type  on  blue  only,  and  in  one  size. 

With  a  view  to  getting  some  light  on  the  subject,  I  applied  to  Mr. 
John  Sands,  of  Sydney,  the  printer  of  all  subsequent  issues  of  Tongan 
registration  envelopes.  He  informed  me  that  his  books  unfortunately  did 
not  discriminate  between  stamped  and  unstamped  envelopes,  and, 
therefore,  the  entries  could  give  no  clue  ;  but  he  stated  that  the  first  type 
in  question  was  certainly  not  printed  at  his  establishment. 

I  am  of  opinion  that  the  amended  entry  is  incorrect  as  regards 
quantity,  and  that  the  numbers  really  refer  to  the  supply  (hereinafter 
mentioned)  of  the  new  type  added  to  those  of  the  first  type.  This  would 
account  for  there  being  only  one  size  of  the  stamp  on  bluish,  and  also 
admit  of  Mr.  Campbell's  date  of  issue  being  considered  correct.  The 
numbers  would  still  be  200  short,  as  $100  would  only  represent  800 
envelopes  at  6d. 

On  the  1st  January,  1892,  Mr.  Campbell  entered  up  an  invoice  of: 

1,000  Reg.  Env.,  small.     6d.     $125     o    o. 
1,000     ,,  ,,       large.     6d.        125     o     o. 

The  copies  sent  me  by  Mr.  Campbell  as  having  been  issued  on  the 
1st  January,  1892,  are  of  two  sizes.  The  Arms,  in  reduced  size,  are 
embossed  in  vermilion  on  the  flap.  "  Tonga  Registration"  in  arch  above 
and  "  6d."  at  each  side,  are  type-printed  in  the  same  colour.  On  the 
address  side  is  the  letter  "  R  "  in  thin  outlined  oval,  in  upper  left  corner, 
and  "  Ton  |  ga  Registered  |  Letter.  This  Letter  must  be  given  to  |  an 
Officer  of  the  Post  Office  to  be  Registered,  and  a  |  Receipt  obtained  for  it  "  ; 
rectangular  space  in  right  upper  corner,  inscribed  "  The  Stamp — to  pay 
the— Postage — must  be — placed  here,"  crossed  dividing  lines  separating  the 

inscription  as  shown  above.     "  No ..."  in  left  lower  corner.     The  lines 

and  inscriptions  are  all  in  red.  The  type  of  the  inscription  on  the  official 
size  envelope  is  larger  than  that  on  the  smaller  one.  Pointed  flap  ;  broad 
brown  gum  round  flap  ;  white  wove  paper,  linen  lined  ;  inscribed  under 
the  flap,  "  John  Sands,  Printer  and  Stationer,  Sydney,  in  red."  Sizes, 
154X95,  and  226  x101mm. 

In  1892  the  registration  fee  was   reduced   from   6d.    to   4d.,   and   on 
the  gth  September,  1892,  Mr.  Campbell  entered  up  an  invoice  of — 
1000  Reg.,  Env.,  small.     4d.     $83     1     4. 

The  Commission  of  Enquiry  noted  against  this :  "  No  invoices  found." 
In  this  issue  the  Arms  are  embossed  in  vermilion  on  the  flap,  as  in  the 
preceding  type.  "  Tonga  Registration  "  is  in  an  arch  above,  but  the  value 
is  given  in  words.  "  Fourpence,"  in  an  arch  below  the  arms.  These 
inscriptions  are  type-printed  in  vermilion.  The  inscriptions  on  the  address 
side  are  the  same  as  on  the  small  sixpenny  of  the  previous  issue.  Pointed 
flap  ;  brown  gum  all  round  ;  thick  white  wove  paper,  linen  lined.  "  John 
Sands,  Printer  and  Stationer,  Sydney,"  in   red    beneath   the   flap.     Size, 

i55X95ram- 

Mr.  Campbell's  next  entry,  as  shown  in  the  Interim  Report  was  : — 

1893.     Jan.     1000  Reg.  Env.,  small.     4d.     $83     1     4. 

But  the  Commissioners  "  raised  "  him  to  2000.     This  printing  is   almost 

identical  with  the  preceding,  except  that  it  has  the  date  "  1.1.93."  *n  red> 


196  The  Philatelic    Record. 

above  the  maker's  imprint,  which  reads,  "John  Sands,  Printer  6° 
Stationer,  Sydney."  The  inscription  on  the  address  side  has  been  re-set, 
and  the  T  of  "it"  falls  immediately  under  the  T  of  "Post."  In  the 
previous  printing  it  fell  between   the  words   "Post"  and   "Office."     Size, 

i55X95mrn- 

The  last  entry  relating  to  envelopes  in  the  Interim  Report  'was  : — 

Column  A. 
1893.     April.       720  Reg.  Env.,  small     4d.     $60     o     o. 
1,938     ,,         ,,       large     4d.     161     2     o. 

Column  D. 

Invoice,  17th  April,  1893,  noted  as  received  30th  May,  1893.     Numbers 

given  are  1,000  small  and  large,  numbers  unspecified. 

I  have  this  envelope  in  two  sizes,  of  thick,  silky  Manilla  paper,  unlined. 
The  smaller  size  has  a  similar  inscription  on  the  flap  to  the  last  described 
issue,  and  bears  the  date  under  the  flap,  "  1.4.93."  The  large  size  has  the 
value  in  figures,  "4d.,"  at  each  side  of  the  Arms.  It  is  dated  beneath  the 
flap  "  1  April,  '93."     Pointed  flaps.     Sizes,  155x97,  and  227x102  mm. 

Reference  List. 

1  Sept.,  1891.     Large  arms;  bluish,  linen-lined  paper. 

6d.     Red.     154x96  mm. 

1  Jan.,  1892.     Small  arms;  white,  linen-lined  paper. 

6d.     Vermilion.     154X95  mm. 

6d.  ,,  226  X 101  mm. 

9  Sept.,  1892.     Small  arms  ;  white,  linen-lined  paper;  undated. 

Fourpence.     Vermilion.     155X95  mm. 
Jan.,  1893.     Small  arms;  white,  linen-lined  paper;  dated  1.1.93. 

Fourpence.     Vermilion.     155x95  mm. 

1  June,  1893.     Small  arms  ;  Manilla,  unlined  paper  ;  dated  1.4.93. 

Fourpence.     Vermilion.     155x97  mm. 

4d.  ,,  227  X 102  mm. 


Barbados  Notes. 


From  the  Monthly  Journal. 


A    FEW    months  ago   Mr.   F.   Gregory,  Secretary  of  the  Barbabos 
Philatelic  Society,  sent  us  some  very  interesting  notes  upon  the 
stamps  of  that  Colony,  which  we  put  aside  until  we  had  time  to 
study  them  more  fully,  and  which  we  think  may  be  made  use  of 
here,  as  some  of  them  should  lead  to  further  discussion. 

The  2d.,  dull  slate,  or  slate-blue,  on  blued  paper.  A  stamp  of  this  colour, 
to  which  the  value  2d.  was  assigned  by  tradition,  was  reported  in  the  Stamp 
Collectors'  Magazine  for  November,  1865,  when  the  only  specimen  known 
was  stated  to  have  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  German  collector,  for  the  long 
price  of  £■$  in  addition  to  some  German  stamps.  Nothing  more  seems  to 
have  been  heard  of  this  variety  until  January,  1867,  when  a  note  from  the 
former  owner  of  the  stamp  appeared  in  the  same  magazine,  stating  that 
"  the  information  which  I  forwarded  "  (as  to  the  value  having  been  2d.) 
"  has  been  substantiated  by  a  gentleman  employed  at  the  Secretary's  office, 


Barbados  Notes.  10,7 


who  kindly  referred  to  the  order-book,  and  told  me  the  colour,  value,  and 
time  when  they  were  ordered.  .  .  .  The  postmaster  (Mr.  Tinling)  told  me 
that  he  recollects  perfectly  well  when  the  twopenny  stamps  were  used." 
The  writer  had  also  obtained  another  copy  by  that  time,  which  he  after- 
wards described  in  a  letter  published  in  July,  1870,  as  composed  of  two 
half  stamps,  which  had  been  used  separately  on  letters  together  with  4d. 
stamps  to  make  up  a  5d.  rate.  Some  discussion  took  place  in  1870  and 
1871,  in  which  the  existence  of  this  stamp,  except  as  a  discoloured  blue,  was 
questioned,  and  not  a  single  specimen,  either  entire  or  halved,  seems  to  have 
been  shown  to  English  collectors,  neither  did  the  Barbados  correspondent 
of  the  S.  C.  M.  ever  quote  the  particulars  of  "  the  colour,  value,  and  time 
when  they  were  ordered,"  which  were  supposed  to  exist  in  the  official 
records.  From  that  time  the  general  opinion  seems  to  have  been  that,  if 
the  grey  stamps  really  existed,  they  were  copies  from  a  proof  or  trial  sheet 
that  had  been  sent  out  to  Barbados  as  a  colour  specimen. 

In  the  Handbook  of  The  Stamps  of  Barbados,  by  E.  D.  Bacon  and  F.  H. 
Napier,  these  supposed  2d.  stamps  are  alluded  to  in  a  note  as  being  in  all 
probability  "blue  stamps  sulphuretted,"  and  it  is  added  that  "  it  is  a  some- 
what curious  coincidence — but  we  think  it  is  nothing  more — that  the  great 
find  of  unused  early  colonial  stamps  that  took  place  some  seven  years  ago 
did,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  include  a  number  of  imperforate  Barbados  stamps  on 
blued  paper,  printed  in  a  colour  that  can  certainly  be  best  described  as  slate- 
blue.  There  can,  however,  be  no  doubt  that  no  stamps  in  this  colour  were 
ever  forwarded  to  the  colony." 

But  Mr.  Gregory  writes  us  as  follows  : — 

"  With  reference  to  the  2d.  value,  dull  slate,  I  have  made  many 
inquiries  and  examined  many  collections.  The  oldest  collector  here 
assures  me  that  Mr.  Tinling  told  him  that  such  stamps  were  issued,  but  I 
have  not  be  able  to  find  a  single  specimen  used  or  unused. 

"  But  all  the  bisected  stamps  that  I  can  find  here,  used  in  1854,  are  °f 
exactly  the  same  shade,  a  decided  grey  with  a  bluish  tinge,  and  none  of  them 
show  any  signs  of  having  become  sulphuretted.  All  were  undoubtedly  used 
for  one  penny ,  and  as  I  can  find  no  whole  stamps  in  this  colour,  nor  any  sul- 
phuretted ones  anything  like  it,  I  have  ventured  to  put  forth  the  theory  that 
the  postmaster,  discovering  some  sheets  of  slate-grey  stamps  amongst  the 
other  colours,  placed  them  aside,  intending  to  use  them  as  twopenny  stamps, 
and  then  when  the  supply  of  the  penny  value  ran  short  he  used  them  up  cut 
in  half  as  penny  stamps.  All  the  sulphuretted  specimens  of  the  penny  blue 
I  have  seen  have  turned  a  blue-black,  not  a  grey-blue.  I  have  not  come 
across  a  bisected  blue  on  blued  paper. 

"In  October,  1857,  the  \&.  green,  ran  out,  and  the  id.  blue  on  white 
paper,  imperf.,  were  cut  into  halves  vertically,  to  be  used  as  halfpenny 
stamps.  Some  of  these  strips  must  have  been  left  on  hand  when  the  next 
supply  of  green  stamps  arrived,  as  I  have  seen  a  dark  blue  vertical  pair  of 
halves  used  as  id.  I  have  also  seen  a  pale  blue  specimen,  divided  diagon- 
ally, used  as  £d." 

On  receipt  of  this  we  sent  Mr.  Gregory  specimens  of  the  grey-blue 
stamps  which  were  found  in  England,  and  in  a  later  letter  he  says  :  "  I  have 
compared  the  grey  shade  sent  with  the  used  halves  we  have  here,  and  the 
shade  is  practically  identical.  No  one  here  has  seen  a  copy  used  entire,  so 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  postmaster  cut  up  the  entire  stock  of  the 
grey  shade  when  the  blues  ran  short,  thus  getting  rid  of  a  colour  he  had  no 
other  use  for.  From  the  scarcity  of  the  cut  specimens  I  should  say  very  few 
sheets  came  here  in  that  colour,  and  those  probably  by  mistake  among  the 
blue."  This,  we  suspect,  is  the  correct  theory.  The  specimen  first  heard  of  in 
1865  was  probably  an  odd  copy  that  had  escaped  the  scissors;  it  was  said 


198  The  Philatelic  Record. 

to  have  been  given  to  its  owner  by  a  post-office  clerk.  Mr.  Tinling  no 
doubt  was  speaking  some  years  after  the  event,  when  he  said  that  he 
"  perfectly  well  "  recollected  the  2d.  stamps  ;  he  recollected  the  grey  stamps 
and  also  the  fact  that  they  were  reckoned  as  2d.  when  put  in  use,  and 
it  is  just  possible  that  some  were  used  entire  for  that  value.  We  know 
now  that  some  sheets  were  printed  in  grey,  possibly  through  some  mis- 
take in  mixing  the  ink  ;  the  statistics  obtained  by  Mr.  Bacon  show  that 
no  supply  of  grey  was  sent  out,  but  it  is  not  impossible  that  a  few  sheets 
may  have  got  mixed  with  the  blue.  Mr.  Gregory  is  certain  that  the  grey 
halves  were  used  as  id.  stamps,  therefore  they  were  certainly  not  halves  of 
the  ordinary  blue  stamps.  It  is  not  unlikely  that,  if  the  blue  (id.)  stamps 
ran  short,  the  postmaster  might  decide  to  reckon  the  small  quantity  of  grey 
ones  as  2d.,  so  as  to  make  them  last  the  longer. 

Mr.  Gregory  gives  us  the  following  list  of  bisected  Barbados  stamps 
which  he  has  seen  on  original  covers  :  — 

Vertical  half  of  grey  (2d.  ?)  on  blued,  imperf.,  used  as  id. 
,,  dark  blue  (id.)  on  while    ,,  ,,        %d. 

Vertical  pair  of  the  last  halves  used  as  id. 
Diagonal  half  of  pale  blue  (id.)  on  white,  imperf.,  used  as  ^d. 
,,  blue  (id.)  pin-perf.  14,  used  as  £d. 

„         rough  perf.         „        |d. 
Vertical  half  of  ,,  ,,  ,,        ^d. 

Horizontal  lower  half  of  id.,  dark  blue,  1874,  used  as^d. 
Diagonal  half  of  id.,  grey-blue,  1876,  used  as  ^d. 
„  id.,  rose,  1882  ,,  £d. 

id.,      „     1892  ,,  -|d. 

The  last  item,  he  thinks,  has  the  appearance  of  being  "  made  to 
order,"  but  the  others  he  considers  undoubtedly  genuine. 

Of  the  One  Shilling,  blue,  Mr.  Gregory  states  that  he  has  seen  a 
single  copy  in  an  old  collection  ;  the  top  and  bottom  of  it  have  turned 
almost  black,  but  the  centre  is  bright  blue.  The  postmaster  states  that 
there  is  no  record  of  a  1/-  blue,  in  the  books  of  the  Post  Office,  which  shows 
that  these  stamps  were  never  issued  to  that  office  ;  he  adds  that  they  were 
all  destroyed,  by  order  of  the  Governor,  shortly  after  their  receipt. 

For  the  id.  on  half  of  5/-,  Mr.  Gregory  has  discovered  that  100 
sheets  of  the  higher  value  were  used,  4800  5/-  stamps,  producing  9600  of 
the  provisional  id.  ;  this  leaves  only  5200  of  the  5/-  unsurcharged.  He 
has  seen  an  unsevered  pair  showing  Types  I.  and  II.  of  the  surcharge 
together,  also  a  single  specimen  without  stop  after  the  letter  "D,"and 
identical  in  other  respects  with  the  variety  shown  in  Type  26  in  the 
Handbook. 

Of  the  "Jubilee"  issue,  Mr.  Gregory  sent  us  the  values  up  to  2^d. 
on  distinctly  blued  paper,  the  colour  of  which  seems  to  be  due  to  the  damp 
climate.  He  says  that  the  blue  tint  becomes  deeper  after  the  stamps  have 
been  wetted,  and  that  it  was  not  noticed  until  they  had  been  nearly  a 
year  in  use. 


Death  of  Dr.  Westoby. 


199 


Death   of  Dr.  Westoby, 


IT    is   with  profound  regret   that    we  announce   the    death   of 
Mr.  W.  A.  S.  Westoby,  which  took  place  on  October  14th, 
1899.     Born  in   1815,  he  was  educated  at   Trinity   College, 
Cambridge,  where  he  took  his  M.A.  degree  in  1839  ;  and  was 
called  to  the  bar  by  the  Hon.   Society  of  Lincoln's  Inn  in   the 
following  year. 

His  philatelic  career  commenced  in  1861-2,  when  he  was  in 
Paris.  He  was  always  one  of  the  most  fastidious  of  collectors  in 
the  standard  which  he  set  up  for  his  own  collection.  But  it  is  as 
the  most  learned  and  cultured  of  all  our  philatelic  writers  that  he 
will  be  remembered  in  the  philatelic  ranks.  In  the  early  days  he 
was  a  contributor  to  the  Stamp  Collectors'  Magazine  under  the  nom 
de plume  of  "  A  Parisian  Collector."  To  the  Philatelist  he  subse- 
quently contributed  valuable  papers  on  the  "  The  Stamps  of 
Turkey,  "The  Envelopes  of  Germany,"  "The  Stamps  of  Mexico," 
&c.  But  his  most  valuable  contributions  to  a  philatelic  periodical 
will  be  found  in  our  own  journal,  for  he  edited  the  Philatelic  Record 
from  November,  1885  (with  an  interruption  of  eighteen  months)  till 
the  end  of  1895.  The  outgoing  editor,  Mr.  Maitland  Burnett,  who 
had  edited  the  Record  for  nearly  seven  years,  introduced  Dr. 
Westoby  as  "  one  of  the  earliest  of  our  scientific  collectors,  and 
one  of  the  tersest  and  most  distinguished  writers  upon  philatelic 
subjects."  From  1885  till  1895  Dr.  Westoby  made  the  Philatelic 
Record  a  veritable  mine  of  philatelic  learning.  He  gathered 
around  him  as  contributors  the  best  philatelists  of  his  day. 

He  commenced  as  an  adherent  of  the  French  school,  then  the 
pioneer  of  advanced  collecting,  which  in  its  day  was  sneered  at 
for  differentiating  between  imperforate  and  perforated  stamps,  but 
the  pace  of  the  modern  specialist  outstripped  his  sympathies,  and 
left  him  with  the  feeling  that  he  belonged  to  another  generation. 
"  Varieties  that  depend  on  the  perforation,  the  paper,  the  original 
plate,  the  colour  of  the  impression,  the  gum  that  was  made  use 
of,"  he  accepted  as  marking  something  in  the  history  of  a  stamp, 
but  "  mere  accidental  varieties  in  a  single  stamp,"  he  failed  to  see 
with  "  the  eyes  of  the  present  caterers  for  specialists." 

In  conjunction  with  his  old  friend,  Mr.  Philbrick,  Q.c,  he 
published  a  valuable  work  on  "  The  Postage  and  Telegraph 
Stamps  of  Great  Britain,"  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
engaged  in  the  production  of  a  still  more  important  and  almost 
completed  work  on  "The  Adhesive  Postage  Stamps  of  Europe." 
Both  works  had  their  genesis  in  articles  which  he  contributed  to 
the  Philatelic  Record  during  his  editorship. 


200 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


New   Issues. 


The  earliest  information  as  to  Neiv  Issues  will  be  much  appreciated  by  us,  and  will  be  duly  credited  to 

the  correspondent,  or  firm,  sending  it.      Our  foreign  subscribers  can  materially 

help  us  in  this  direction.      When  possible  a  specimen,  should  accompany 

the  information,  and  be  addressed  to  the  Editor, 

Mr.  Edward  J.  Nankivell,  28,  Birdhurst  Rise,  Croydon. 


British   Em 


pire. 


British  Honduras. — The  5c.  postage 
stamp  is  said  to  have  been  surcharged 
"Revenue"  in  small  caps  and  used 
postally.  The  Monthly  Journal  is 
informed  that  the  25c.  and  50c.  values 
have  been  similarly  surcharged. 

Canada. — There  are  two  types  of  the 
recent  surcharge  of  "  two  cents  "  on  3 
cents.  In  one  type  the  letters  are 
larger  and  bolder,  the  difference  being 
most  marked  in  the  case  of  the  letter  N. 
Each  type  is  to  be  found  on  both  the 
maple  leaf  and  the  figure  issues. 

We  have  received  the  2c.  printed  in 
the  Postal  Union  colour  red.  It  was 
issued  on  Aug.  20th. 

Adhesive. 
2  cents  red. 

Great  Britain.— It  is  stated  that  the 
£d.  will  be  changed  to  green  and  the  id. 
to  red  on  the  1st  January  next,  in 
accordance  with  the  adopted  Postal 
Union  colours.  The  first  it  is  reported 
will  be  bi-coloured. 

Hong  Kong. — According  to  Le  Timbres 
Poste,  the  1  dol.  on  96c.  is  now  minus 
the  surcharge  in  Chinese  characters. 

Adhesive. 
1  dol.  on  90c.  black,  without  Chinese  characters. 

India  (Duttia).  —  According  to  the 
Philatelic  Journal  of  India  this  state  has 
started  a  new  issue.  The  type  is 
described  as"  Egyptian"  otherwise  like 
the  previous  issue. 

The  stamps  are  in  strips  of  eight,  and  the 
strip  is  rouletted  all  round  in  black  with  a 
rule  at  the  time  of  printing,  in  such  a  way 
that  the  stamps  are  not  rouletted  vertically, 
except  at  the  two  ends  of  the  strip.  Paper, 
wove. 

Adhesives. 

%a..  black  on  blue-green. 

1  a.         „  white. 

2a.         „  yellow. 

4a.         „  red. 

Patiala. — The  three  pies  Indian  value 
has  been  surcharged  "  Patiala  State." 
in  two  lines  in  black. 

Adhesives. 
3  pies  carmine,  black. 


Labuan. — MekeeVs  Weekly  Stamp  News 
has  received  the  cheering  information 
that,  in  order  to  supply  the  urgent 
necessities  of  the  corresponding  public 
of  Labuan,  it  became  necessary  to  sur- 
charge nine  different  stamps  with  the 
value  of  4  cents,  to  provide  for  the 
introduction  of  penny  postage  into  that 
colony. 

It  is  also  stated  that  only  one  thousand 
sets  of  these  surcharges  were  made. 

Adhesive  stamps. 
4c.  on  5c.  green  and  black. 
4c.  on  6c.  red  and  black. 
4c.  on  8c.  rose  and  black. 
4c.  on  12c.  orange  and  black. 
4c.  on  18c.  brown  and  black. 
4c.  on  24c.  lilac  and  blue. 
4c.  on  25c.  green. 
4c.  on  50c.  red-brown. 
4c.  on  $1  blue. 

Malta. — The  London  Philatelist  says 
the  current  ^d.,  id.,  4d.  and  1/-  postals 
have  been  surcharged  "  Revenue  "  in 
black. 

New  Zealand.  —  We  are  officially 
informed,  under  date,  4th  Sept.,  1899, 
"  New  Zealand  Postage  Stamps  of  both 
the  previous  (Queen's  head),  and  new 
issues  are  on  sale,"  that  "the  id.,  2d., 
3d.,  6d.  and  is.,  denominations  of  the 
previous  issue  have  been  reverted  to  till 
the  new  stamps  of  those  issues  are 
printed  in  the  colony,  which  will  not  be 
until  special  paper  already  ordered  from 
England  is  received,"  and  that  "the 
new  id.  is  almost  used  up." 

Mr.  L.  K.  Sanderson  writes  to  the 
Australian  Philatelist  as  follows  :  — 

The  Colonial  prints  of  the  2£d.,  5d., 
6d.,  8d.,  2/-  and  5  -  values  of  the  recent 
issue  printed  in  London,  were  issued  in 
Wellington  on  June  8th.  They  have  been 
printed  at  the  Government  Printing  Office  in 
Wellington,  on  unwatermarked  paper,  and 
perforated  n.  The  perforations  are  rough, 
done  with  a  treadle  machine.  The  stock  of 
unwatermarked  paper  is  now  exhausted,  and 
the  printers  are  waiting  for  a  fresh  supply  of 
paper,  which,  it  is  understood,  will  be  water- 
marked. The  altered  plates  of  the  £d.,  id., 
ad.  and  4d.  values  have  arrived  in  Welling- 
ton.     The    designs    of    these     have'  been 


New  Issues. 


201 


enlarged,  the  Jd.  is  to  appear  in  green,  the 
id.  and  4d.  values  are  to  be  transposed,  the 
4d.  being  the  design  and  colour  of  the 
present  id.  value,  and  the  id.  value  is  to  be 
that  of  the  present  4d.  A  few  of  the  present 
4d.  and  gd.  values  have  been  printed  locally 
on  unwatermarked  paper,  but  have  not  yet 
been  issued. 

The  A.  P.  remarks  that,  in  addition  to 
the  perforation — n — wbich  is  not  found  on 
the  English  printings,  the  paper  is  of  a 
different  quality.  The  English  paper  is 
rather  thin,  surfaced,  and  a  marginal  piece 
held  to  the  light  will  show  very  fine  diagonal 
crossed  lines.  The  local  prints  are  on  paper 
of  the  ordinary  plain  wove  quality,  unsur- 
faced,  and  thicker  than  the  English.  The 
shades  of  the  stamps  also  differ  from  Wate*- 
low's  printings. 

Adhesives. 
Printed  in  New  Zealand. 

z%A.  pale  blue,  no  wmk.,  perf.  u. 

5d.  brown  „ 

6d.  yellow-green      „ 

8d.  deep  blue  „ 

2/-  blue-green  „ 

5/-  vermilion  ,, 

The  Otago  Daily  Times  says  the  Postal 
Department,  have  notified  that  in  order 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  Postal 
Union  it  has  been  decided  to  alter  the 
colours  of  the  £d.,  id.,  and  2jd.  The 
2^d.  however,  is  already  in  the  Postal 
Union  colour  and  will  not  need  to  be 
changed. 

Queensland.— Mr.  Hadlow  has  sent 
us  the  new  is.  in  the  type  of  the  5d. 
with  figures  in  all  four  corners.  Wink. 
Cr.  &  Q.     Perf.  13. 

Adhesive, 
ij-  mauve. 


Mr.  F.  Hagen  sends  the  Australian 
Philatelist,  the  2d.  blue  of  the  unaltered 
type — (head  on  shaded  ground)  printed 
on  the  "secret  watermark"  paper. 
The  A.  P.  says, — "It  is  stated  that  a 
supply  was  printed  before  the  plate  was 
re-engraved,  but  the  stamps  were  only 
recently  issued.  This  is  somewhat  re- 
markable in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  ^d. 
and  id.  on  the  '  secret  watermark  '  were 
of  the  second  type  (head  on  white 
ground)." 

Adhesive. 
ad.  blue  (old  type)  "  Secret"  watermark. 

S  arawak. -The  Monthly  Journal  chron- 
icles two  provisionals  issued  on  July  1st, 
viz.,  by  surcharging  the  12c.  and  8c.  of 
1871  with  a  numeral  and  the  word 
"  Cents,"  in  black  or  red. 

Adhesives. 
2C.  in  black  on  12c.  red  on  lilac  rose. 
4c.  in  red  on  8c.  blue  on  blue. 

Straits  Settlements.— The  Philatelic 
Journal  of  India  says  the  4c.  rose,  CA, 
will  no  longer  be  rare,  for  it  has  been  re- 
issued for  "  penny  postage  "  purposes. 

Tasmania. — The  Australian  Philatelist 
is  officially  informed  that  the  projected 
new  pictorial  issue  will  probably  be 
ready  towards  the  end  of  the  current 
year. 

Victoria. — The  low  values  have  been 
changed  into  the  postal  Union  colours. 

Adhesives. 
y2d.    green, 
id.      rose  red. 
i^jd.  red  on  yellow. 
2^d.  blue. 


Foreign   Countries. 


Chili. — We  have  received  a  new  value, 
30  centavos,  in  same  design  as  the 
current  series. 

Adhesive. 
30c.  carmine. 

Cuba. — According  to  the  Metropolitan 
Philatelist  an  error  has  crept  into  the 
Cuban  special  delivery  stamp.  Instead 
of  "  immediata "  it  should  have  been 
"  inmediata "  according  to  correct 
Spanish. 

Germany. —  According  to  the  Aus- 
tralian Philatelist  we  may  expect  from 
the  German  Empire  a  series  of  oversea 
postage  stamps  of  the  U.S.  Columbus 
pattern.  They  are  to  be  issued  on  the 
1st  January,  1901,  and  are  to  be  five  in 
number,  viz. :  1,  2,  3,  4  and  5  marks. 


Special  attention  will  be  paid  to  the 
artistic  designs,  which  will  be  symbolical 
and  descriptive  of  German  union  and  of 
the  history  of  the  Imperial  house  of 
Hohenzollern.  The  Emperor  is  himself 
superintending  the  designing  of  the  stamps, 
which  has  been  entrusted  to  German  artists 
of  the  highest  standing.  One  of  the  stamps 
for  instance,  that  for  the  2  mark,  has  been 
designed  by  Prof.  Werner,  Director  of  the 
Berlin  Art  Academy  ;  it  is  divided  into  three 
sections  with  pictures  symbolic  of  German 
union.  The  centre  picture  shows  two 
warriors,  a  Prussian  and  a  Bavarian,  shaking 
hands,  blessed  by  the  figure  of  Germania 
which  floats  in  the  background;  in  the  side 
divisions  are  pictures  of  the  Alps  and  of  the 
Isle  of  Rugen.  Other  stamps  will  depict 
scenes  of  German  history,  the  opening  of 
the  first  Reichstag  under  Emperor  William 
II.,     the     Emperor     William     I.    National 


202 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Monument,  &c.  The  stamps  have  all  been 
designed  by  German  artists,  the  report  that 
some  of  them  had  been  designed  in  England 
having  been  officially  contradicted.  They 
will  be  printed  in  the  Imperial  Printing 
Office  in  Berlin  by  an  improved  lithographic 
process. 

Samoa. — The  Metropolitan  chronicles 
the  current  set  of  stamps  surcharged 
'  Samoach  '  in  black  for  use  here. 

Adhesives. 

3pf.  black  and  brown. 

Spf.  „  green, 

iopf.  „  carmine. 

2opf.  „  blue. 

2spf.  ,,  orange. 

5opf.  „  red-brown. 

Caroline  Islands. — It  is  stated  in  the 
Philatelic  Monthly  and  World  that  the 
Germans  will  surcharge  their  current 
stamps  for  use  in  their  newly  acquired 
dependency.  "  Karolinen — Inseln  "  in 
two  lines,  will  be  the  style. 

Portugal. —  Lourenco  Marques. —  The 
Illustrites  Briefmarken  Journal  has  re- 
ceived another  provisional  from  this 
country  which  has  been  so  prolific  of 
late  in  that  line.     Surcharge  in  black. 

Adhesive  stamp. 
5or.  on  75r.  rose. 

Russia  {China).  —  The  Philatelic 
Journal  of  India  has  received  the 
following  Russian  stamps  surcharged 
for  use  in  Port  Arthur. 


Adhesives. 


i  kopek  orange 

2  kopeks  green 

3  ,,        carmine 
5       „         mauve 

7       „        dark-blue 


blue  surcharge. 
red  ,, 

blue  , , 


Samoa.— Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
send  us  the  |d.  and  id.  in  new  Postal 
Union  colours. 

Adhesives. 

%&.  deep  green, 
id.    brown-red. 

Siam.— The  publishers  of  the  Monthly 
Journal  have  received  what  appear  to 
be  new  editions  of  the  interminable 
provisionals  of  this  country.  Major 
Evans  writes: — 


We  have  before  us  sheets  of  "  i  Att "  on 
12  atts,  "  2  Atts  "  on  64  atts,  and  "  3  Atts  " 
on  12  atts,  all  with  the  usual  overprint,  in 
English  and  in  Siamese,  in  black.  The  1 
Att  and  2  Atts  appear  to  be  printed  from  the 
same  setting,  in  which  the  right-hand  half 
of  the  sheet  has  a  narrower  capital  "A" 
than  the  left-hand  half.  We  have  found  no 
varieties  in  the  figures  "  1,"  but  the  ninth 
stamp  in  the  top  row  of  that  value  has  the 
last  letter  of  "Att"  upside  down,  and  the 
seventh  stamp  in  the  third  row  has  the 
figure  "  1  "  in  that  position  The  figures 
"  2  "  are  all  with  straight  foot,  but  those  on 
the  right-hand  half  of  the  sheet  are  narrower 
than  those  on  the  other  hali  (to  correspond 
with  the  letters  "  A "),  and  the  seventh 
stamp  in  the  top  row  is  surcharged  "  1  Atts" 
in  error.  On  both  sheets  the  periods  after 
the  words  are  frequently  invisible,  and  the 
same  is  the  case  with  the  cross-bars  of  the 
letters  "  A."  The  3  Atts  on  12  atts  appears 
to  be  No.  51  in  the  Catalogue  ;  the  surcharge 

is  in  clearer  type  than  that  of  the  other  two, 
and  the  only  variety  we  can  find  is  a 
narrower  "  A  ''  on  the  fifth  stamp  in  the  top 
row. 

We  do  not  think  it  has  been  noted  that 
the  stamps  are  in  panes  of  120,  ten  hori- 
zontal rows  of  twelve,  with  the  watermark 
"postage  —  siam  —  revenue"  in  outline 
capitals  in  the  bottom  and  side  margins. 
Presumably  these  are  half-sheets,  and  there 
are  others  which  show  the  watermark  in  the 
top  margin  instead  of  the  bottom. 
Adhesives. 

1  att  on  12  atts  purple  and  carmine. 

1       ,,       12     ,,         „  „  (error). 

1  .,       12     „         .,  „  (     „    ) 

2  atts  on  64  „    purple  and  brown. 

1       „        64  ,,         „  „  (error). 

Turkey.  —  The  Philatelic  Monthly 
(U.S.)  states  that  the  postal  authorities 
of  Turkey  recently  opened  a  competi- 
tion for  a  new  design  for  their  postage 
stamps. 

Among  the  numerous  proposals  submitted 
the  one  designed  by  Nazim  Effendi,  a  civil 
functionary  of  the  Seraskierate  was  unani- 
mously selected  and  being  submitted  to  the 
Sultan,  was  equally  approved  by  him.  The 
young  successful  official  was  given  a  furlough 
from  his  official  duties  in  the  Ministry  in 
order  to  prepare  the  designs  for  the  new  plates 
and  to  superintend  the  obtaining  of  essays 
and  proofs.  The  nature  of  the  design  has 
not  as  yet  been  given  out. 


-^^t^^y 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


203 


in 


s. 


The  "Post  Office"  Mauritius. 

M.  Moens  in  his  journal  Le  Timbres 
Poste  recently  gave  a  most  interesting 
history  of  the  ownership  of  all  the  known 
copies  of  the  id.  and  2d.  "  Post  Office  " 
Mauritius,  19  in  all,  with  the  prices  at 
which  they  have  changed  hands. 

The  following  synopsis  of  the  article 
is  taken  from  the  A  ustralian  Philatelist : — 


Price. 

£   s. 


Date.  Owner. 

/  and  II.     id.  and  2d.  used 

1847.  *Borchard 
i864(?)  *Coutures 
1865.       Gimet 

1865.  Moens 

1866.  *Philbrick    ..  ..  20     o 
1881.     *La  Redotiere              . .  40     o 

id.  and  2d.  unused. 


Ill  and  X. 

1847.     *Borchard    .. 
1866-70  Desbois 

,,         *Lalanne     .. 
1893.     *Piet  Lataudrie 
1893.       Stanley  Gibbons 
1893.     "Avery 


1868. 
1876. 


1847. 


IV.     id.  used. 

*Noirel 

Lionnet 

Moens 
"Rothschild 


V. 

*Caunter 

*Rac 
Roussin 

*Perrissim 
Ansbruc 
Mir  ab  and 


2d.  used. 


680 
700 


4 
20 


40 


140 
15° 


1847. 
1869. 


1897. 


VI.  and  VII.    id.  and  2d.  used. 

*Borchard 

Desbois 

Moens       ..  ..  8 

*Legrand     . 

Lemaire     . 

Bernichon  . 


VIII.  and  IX. 
1847.     *Borchard 


1200     o 
i860     o 

id.  and  2d.  unused. 


1870. 


Desbois 

Moens 
*Perinelle 

Moens 
*La  Renotiere 


12 

38 

120 

220 


X.     See  III. 


Date. 

1887. 
1870. 

1893. 
1896. 

1847. 
1872. 


1847. 
1875. 


1890. 


1847. 
1878. 

1881. 


1847. 
1864. 
1897. 


1847. 
1898. 


Owner. 
XI.  and  XII.     id.  and  2d.  used. 

*Borchard   .. 
Desbois 
*Lalanue 
*Piet  Lataudrie 

*Mors 


Price. 


XIII.  2d.  used. 

*Borchard   . . 
*Martineau 

Desbois 

Moens 

* Rothschild 

XIV.  2d.  unused. 

*Borchard 

Desbois 

Moens 
*La  Renotiere 
*Tapling 
*  British  Museum 

XV.     id,  used 

*Marquay    .. 
*Evans 

*Topling 
*British  Museum 


1680 


4 
24 


24 
40 


XVI 

*Borchard 
*Schiller 
*Pouget 
"Kirchner 


id.  used. 


XVII 

*Duvivier 
Peckitt 
*  English  Collector 


id.  used. 


30     o     o 

75     o     o 


400 
400     o     o 


600 
IOOO 


XVIII.  and  XIX.     id.  X  id.  used. 

1897.  Howard 

1898.  Peckitt 

1899.  "English  Collector 


5° 
1375 
1800 


The  English  collector  who  purchased 
the  three  last  discovered  id.  stamps  for 
£2,800  does  not  wish  his  name  to  be 
made  public. 

Holland  :    New  Issue,  Sheets. 

It  is  always  interesting  to  know  the 
make-up  of  the  sheets  of  the  various 
issues  of  stamps.     We  are  indebted  to 

*  Amateur.  Names  without  asterisk  are  those  of 
dealers.  Names  in  italics  are  those  of  the  present 
owners  of  the  stamps. 


204 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


the  Philatelic  Journal  of  Great  Britain 
for  the  following  particulars  concerning 
the  sheets  of  the  new  issue  of  Holland  : 

The  stamps  of  the  new  issue  of  Holland 
are  printed  as  follows:  The  values  from  ^ 
cent  to  20  cent  inclusive  in  sheets  of  200, 
those  from  22J  cent  to  50  cent  inclusive  of 
sheets  of  ioo,  and  the  i\  and  5  gulden  in 
sheets   of  50  stamps. 

No  stamps  issued  before  1898  will  be 
available  for  postage  after  January  1st,  1900. 

Cook  Islands    Postal 
Revenue. 

We  quote  from  the  Australian  Philate- 
list, the  following  details  of  the  postal 
revenue  of  the  Cook's  Islands  Federation 
from  1892  to  18c 

£    s.    d. 

245  5  9 
278  2  3 


1092-3 
1893-4 
1874-5 
1895-6 
1896-7 
1897-8 


228 
120 
120 

179 


Our  Australian  contemporary  com- 
menting on  these  figures,  draws  attention 
to  the  fact  that  during  this  period  of 
six  years,  three  different  series  of  stamps 
were  issued,  comprising  13  varieties, 
not  counting  the  two  papers  of  the  first 
issue. 

After  allowing  for  the  value  of  the  stamps 
legitimately  used  for  postal  purposes  -and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  more  than  one 
half  of  those  issued  in  Cook  Islands  were 
so  used — the  long  suffering  philatelist 
appears  to  have  been  "bled"  to  the  extent 
of  possibly  ,£500  for  13  new  kinds  of 
stamps,  or  less  than  ,£40  worth  of  each. 
When  the  bill  for  engraving  and  printing 
was  paid,  very  little  would  be  left  over  to 
be  reckoned  as  "  philatelic  profit." 

Humph  ! 


Western  Australia  :    Inverted 
Centre. 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  Westoby 
in  defence  of  the  4d.  blue  error  of 
Western  Australia,  1885.  appears  in 
Stamps.  We  cannot  understand  what 
induced  Mr.  Francis  to  cast  doubt  on  the 
genuineness  of  the  "  error  "  seeing  that 
it  has  long  been  accepted  as  a  genuine 
production  and  has  been  included  in 
specialist  collections  at  the  London 
Philatelic  Society's  rooms,  and  in  the 
1897  Exhibition  : 

Dear  Sir, — At  the  end  of  the  portion  of 
an  article  on  the  Western  Australian  stamps 
which  appeared  in  your  number  for  July, 
there  is  the  following  remark  :  "  This  stamp 
(the  4d.  of  1855)  is  supposed  to  have  been 
printed  with  centre  inverted,  but  its  genuine- 
ness is  problematical."  Up  to  the  present 
time  I  have  never  heard  of  the  genuineness 
of  this  error  having  been  called  in  question. 
Not  only  is  it  acknowledged  in  the  work  of 
the  Philatelic  Society,  London,  on  the 
stamps  of  Oceania,  but  by  every  authority 
of  any  importance  in  France  and  Germany. 
I  myself  purchased  a  used  copy  of  the  error 
in  Paris,  in  1896,  and  there  was  not  a  shadow 
of  doubt  as  to  its  genuineness.  It  is  easily 
accounted  for ;  the  centre  of  the  stamp  was 
made  by  a  lithographic  transfer  from  the  id., 
printed  by  Perkins,  Bacon  &  Co.,  and  the 
frame  was  a  piece  of  native  work  from 
which  transfers  were  taken.  So  there  were 
two  operations  and  the  lithographer  accident- 
ally inverted  the  frame  in  one.  This 
transfer  of  the  frame  part  also  gives  rise  to 
the  variations  found  in  the  letters  of  the 
inscriptions. 

The  colouring  of  the  paper  of  the  2d.  was 
mentioned  in  the  Philatelic  Record  for  1888, 
vol.  x.,  page  126,  for  which  some  20  copies 
obtained  from  dealers  were  examined. 

I  am,  Yours  truly, 

Sep.  $th,  i8gg.  W.  A.  S.  Westoby. 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


205 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


The    Philatelic    Protection 
Association. 

Our  energetic  contemporary,  Stamps, 
has  been  wanting  to  know  why  the 
P.  P. A.  with  large  funds  in  hand  did  not 
assist  in  putting  an  end  to  frauds  on 
collectors.  To  this  Mr.  Giwelb,  a 
member  of  the  Committee  of  the 
Association,  replies : 

The  P. P. A.  does  not  move  because, 
happily,  there  is  no  need  for  it,  but  you  may 
rest  assured  that  the  Association  is  not  dead, 
nor  asleep,  and  should  an  occasion  arise,  it 
will  be  found  the  P. P. A.  is  wide  awake  and 
well  alive  to  duty. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Members  of  the 
P. P. A.  who  subscribed  the  funds,  it  was 
decided  to  leave  the  cash  balance  at  the 
Bank  undisturbed  and  not  to  levy  any  further 
subscriptions  from  Members  until  such  a 
time  when  funds  may  be  required. 

Although  individually  we  all  are  ready  and 
willing  to  assist  in  stopping  swindles  and 
frauds  of  all  kinds,  the  P. P. A.  as  such, 
cannot  undertake  to  run  down  individuals, 
etc.,  but  must  leave  it  to  those  who  please 
to  send  out  their  stamps,  to  make  inquiries 
respecting  the  parties  to  whom  they  send 
them. 

Our  contemporary  is  not  satisfied  and 
apparently  thinks  the  appointment  of 
"  an  energetic  secretary  "  would  make 
all  the  difference.  When  C.J. P.  was 
Secretary,  the  Association  was  very 
much  alive,  but  at  present  it  scarcely 
seems  to  have  any  vitality  left. 

Scott's    Catalogue. 

The  Scott  Stamp  and  Coin  Co., 
promises  the  new  edition  of  their  cata- 
logue for  October.  On  the  question  of 
prices  they  say  : — 

While  in  our  judgment,  as  we  have  already 
expressed  it  in  these  columns,  the  reductions 
made  in  the  English  Colonials  by  the  leading 
dealer  in  England  have,  in  many  cases,  been 
far  too  drastic,  we  feel  compelled  to  accept 
English  authority  upon  the  value  of  English 
and  British  Colonial  stamps,  as  the  market 
for  these  stamps  is  dominated  by  English 
dealers  and  collectors,  and  not  on  this  side  of 
the  water.  In  many  cases  we  shall  feel  that 
the  quotations  are  not  a  fair  reflection  of  the 
comparative  value  of  the  stamps  but  prefer, 
on  the  whole,  to  accept  the  foreign  notations 
and  leave  it  for  future  editions  to  correct  such 
errors  as  may  have  crept  in.  The  prices  of 
many  of  the  commoner  kinds  of  foreign 
stamps  will  be  reduced  to  correspond    more 


closely  to  the  rates  at  which  these  stamp- 
can  be  purchased  at  wholesale,  and  the  same 
will  apply  to  the  common  and  medium 
varieties  of  the  stamps  of  the  United  States, 
many  of  which  were  unduly  boomed  by  spec- 
ulators and  collectors  a  few  years  ago. 
However,  as  to  the  unused  stamps  of  the 
United  States,  we  shall  not  allow  ourselves 
to  be  led  astray  by  the  low  prices  obtained 
at  auction  for  the  straggling  specimens 
which  have  appeared  from  time  to  time, 
the  majority  of  which  were  not  in  extra 
fine  condition  and  the  prices  realised 
for  which  can  form  no  true  basis  for 
an  estimate  of  value.  A  search  among 
dealers  stocks  for  fine  specimens  of  the 
United  States  would  soon  prove  to  any- 
one how  scarce  these  stamps  really  are,  and 
we  feel  certain  that  it  will  take  but  a  few 
months  to  prove  to  the  collecting  fraternity 
that  our  ideas  on  this  subject  are  correct  and 
that  those  who  think  that  these  stamps  have 
been  wildly  overpriced  are  in  error.  We,  of 
course,  must  take  into  consideration  the  fact 
that  the  present  season  has  been  marked  by 
the  largest  addition  to  the  stamp  collecting 
fraternity  that  any  season  has  ever  shown, 
and  the  effect  of  this  is  bound  to  be  apparent 
in  an  increased  demand  for  stamps  during 
the  approaching  season.  As  soon  as  this 
demand  materializes  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
supplies  of  many  desirable  stamps  cannot 
keep  pace  with  the  demand  for  them,  and 
that  a  closer  approach  to  catalogue  quotations 
will  have  to  be  maintained  by  dealers  than 
has  been  tha  practice  during  the  past  two  or 
three  years. 


Securing    U.S.    Postage   Due 


Stamps. 


In  the  ordinary  course  "  Postage  Due" 
stamps  are  affixed  to  letters  by  the  postal 
officials  to  show  amount  due  for  in- 
sufficient postage.  Consequently  copies 
of  those  stamps  are  mostly  difficult  to 
obtain,  but  of  all  the  attempts  to  secure  a 
supply.  Mr.  Z.  P.  Oppenheimer's  story 
in  the  New  York  Philatelist  of  how  he 
collected  a  supply  is  the  most  amusing 
we  have  read  : — 

I  conceived  the  idea,  and  to  the  best  of  my 
knowledge  I  was  the  only  one  to  carry  the 
same  into  successful  operation,  to  mail  to 
myself  large  packages  of  brick,  on  which  the 
due  postage  amounted  as  high  as  $1000  at  a 
time.  But  lo  !  for  the  poor  postmen  ;  how 
they  melted  in  the  heat  of  the  August  and 
September  sun.  Soon  a  notice  of  the  Post 
Office  reached  me  to  call  at  office  so-and-so 
and  get  my  packages,  which  were  held  for 
short  postage.     And  again,  in  a  very  short 


206 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


time  a  Post  Office  Inspector  from  the  General 
Post  Office  called  on  me  and  explained  that 
they  had  thoroughly  investigated  my  previous 
record  and  found  out  nothing  more  damaging 
againist  me  than  to  be  a  '  freak  '  or  a  '  stamp 
fiend.'  '  But,'  he  added,  '  it  does  not  follow 
that  the  Post  Office  Department  of  the  U.S. 
should  pay  homage  to  the  entirely  foolish 
notions  of  your  fraternity,  although  we 
appreciate  your  efforts,'  he  continued,  '  to  fill 
the  coffers  of  the  Government  to  the  extent 
of  perhaps  $50  to  $75  per  day  for  some 
worthless  printed  paper.  Still,'  this  U.S. 
diplomatist  urged,  '  we  don't  propose  to  carry 
your  bricks  up  town  and  down  town,  but 
after  consultation  with  the  General  Post- 
master, and  with  his  advice  and  consent,  we 
make  you  the  following  proposition  :  On 
each  and  every  week-day  between  9  a.m.  and 
3  p.m.,  and  as  long  as  our  supply  and  your 
foolishness  lasts  and  your  money  holds  out, 
you  can  come  to  window  so-and-so  (I  cannot 
give  the  real  number),  with  your  bricks  duly 
wrapped  up  and  addressed  to  yourself,  and 
the  employee  in  charge  of  this  window  will 
hand  it  out  to  you  again  in  less  than  no  time 
with  the  required  due  stamps  on  them  ;  and 
you,  mind  you,'  he  said,  '  you  will  pay  the 
cool  cash.'  Well,  I  acquiesced  quickly  to 
the  treaty,  only  holding  out  for  lightly  can- 
celled specimens  and  for  such  denominations 
as  I  cbose  (30  or  50c.)  The  bargain  was 
closed,  and  next  morning  I  began  to  hand  in 
my  'bricks'  at  the  certain  window  with  such 
regularity  and  swiftness  that  I  fairly  alarmed 
my  good  friend,  and  he  soon  begged  for  an 
armistic  to  rest  his  weary  arms.  Still,  I 
succeeded  on  the  very  first  day  to  count  170 
due  stamps  in  a  very  fine  condition,  and  I 
continued  my  work  for  days  and  weeks  at  the 
General  Post  Office  of  this  our  big  city  of 
New  York.  I  also  installed  sub-agents  at 
the  various  branch  offices. 

Well,  to  return  to  our  mutton,  or  rather 
'  Dues  '  I  managed  to  get  them  by  the  100, 
nay,  by  the  1000  ! 

And  what  did  I  do  with  them  ? 

Well,  for  fear  of  being  regarded  as  a 
modern  Croesus  I  will  frankly  state  that  this 
was  the  first  and  the  only  time  I  made  any 
money  in  the  stamp  business  ;  neither  before 
nor  afterwards  was  my  mania  rewarded  with 
anything  like  profit,  but  as  long  as  the  craze 
for  the  Dues  lasted  I  reaped  the  harvest. 

I  counted  among  my  cash  customers  nearly 
all  the  wholesale  dealers  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  and  San  Francisco, 
all  of  whom  took  from  me  for  ready 
cash  and  with  a  liberal  premium  whatever 
quantities  I  could  furnish. 

W.  T.  Wilson's  Galore. 

Officially,  we  have,  of  course,  no 
knowledge  ot  the  existence  of  more  than 
one  "  W.  T.  Wilson,"  but,  somehow, 
others  laying  claim  to  the  same  initials 
and  surname  arise  to  confuse  our  phila- 
telic vision.  Sometime  since  one  cropped 


up  in  the  north  as  a  dealer  and  now 
we  have  another  present  at  a  meet- 
ing of  philatelists  gathered  together  in 
Kimberley,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a 
local  philatelic  Society.  Really  there 
must  be  a  truce  to  this  multiplication  of 
minor  varieties. 

Australian  Federation. 

The  Australian  Philatelist  assures  us 
that  very  considerable  progress  has 
been  made  towards  the  federation  of  the 
Australian  colonies,  Victoria  and  Tas- 
mania, have  accepted  the  amended 
Commonwealth  Bill  by  immense  maj- 
orities ;  the  address  to  the  Queen  has 
been  passed  by  the  Parliaments  of  New 
South  Wales,  Victoria  and  Tasmania, 
and  it  has  been  handed  to  the  Governors 
of  those  respective  colonies  for  trans- 
mission to  the  Queen.  Queensland  and 
Western  Australian  are  expected  to 
join  in  the  near  future,  and  even  in  New 
Zealand  there  is  a  strong  feeling  in 
favour  of  joining  in  the  Federation. 

"  The    Philatelic    Journal    of 
Great  Britain." 

The  following  announcement  in  the 
October  issue  of  The  Philatelic  Journal 
of  Great  Britain  explains  a  change  of 
proprietorship  : 

PUBLISHER'S  NOTE. 

I  have  to  announce  that  after  December 
next  the  Journal  will  be  taken  over  by 
Messrs.  Kirkpatrick  &  Pemberton,  of  202, 
High  Holborn,  London,  to  whom  I  have 
sold  all  rights.  I  have  been  obliged  to  take 
this  step  owing  to  increasing  business  which 
prevents  my  giving  the  time  necessary  for 
the  proper  conduct  of  the  Journal.  I  hope 
that  all  friends  and  subscribers  who  have  so 
long  and  generously  supported  me  will 
extend  their  kind  patronage  to  Messrs. 
Kirkpatrick  &  Pemberton  in  whose  hands  I 
feel  sure  I  can  safely  leave  the  destinies  of 
the  old  "  P.J.G.B." 

The  title  of  the  "  P.J.G.B.  Advertiser " 
will  be  changed  to  '*  Brown's  Advertiser." 

W.  BROWN. 

The  P.  J.  of  G.  B.  was  started  in 
Feb.,  1891.  Fiscal  stamps  were  to 
receive  special  attention,  and  for  a  time 
they  were  much  in  evidence,  but  they 
have  long  since  been  dropped.  The 
journal  has  almost  from  the  first  been 
the  official  organ  of  the  International 
Philatelic  Union.  At  the  start  it  was 
edited  by  Mr.  Percy  Bishop,  then  by 
Mrs.  Scott  Stokes  and  latterly  by  Mr. 
G.  B.  Duerst  of  Manchester. 


Societies  in  Session. 


207 


Societies  in  Session. 


Herts. 

Hon.  Sec.  : — H.  A.  Slade,  Ingleside, 
St.  Albans. 

The  Herts  Philatelic  Society  aims  at 
becoming  "  the  biggest  and  most 
popular  Society  in  the  United  King- 
dom." It  proposes  to  cater  no  longer 
for  Herts  collectors  only,  but  "  for 
medium  collectors  and  tyros  who  can 
neither  afford  the  expense  nor  under- 
stand the  technicalities  of  the  premier 
society." 

PROGRAMME. 

First   Tuesday  in   October,    1899 — Annual  Meeting-. 

Election  of  Officers,  Accounts  presented,  etc., 

etc. 
Second   Tuesday  in   October,    1899 — Display,    U.S., 

British  N.  America,  etc.     W.  B.  Avery. 
First  Tuesday  in  November — Display,  Mexico  (first 

part).     R.  Frentzel. 
First    Tuesday   in   December — Paper   and   Display, 

Transvaal. "Stamps  of  the  British  Occupation." 

E.  J.  Nankivell. 
First  Tuesday  in  January,  1900 — Display,  Brazil  or 

Dominican  Republic.     R.  Ehrenbach. 
First    Tuesdav    in    Februarv — Paper  and    Display, 

Chili.      R.   Meyer.      Paper,    "The    Line    En- 
graved Issues  of  Japan."     O.  Firth. 
First  Tuesday  in  March — Display,  U.S.  of  Colombia. 

H.  R.  Oldfield. 
First  Tuesday  in  April — Paper  and  Display,  Argentine 

Republic.  _  T.  W.  Hall. 
First   Tuesday  in   May — Annual   Dinner.     Display, 

German  States.     M.  P.  Castle. 


Victoria. 

Hon.    Sec.  : — D.    S.    Abraham,  243, 
Collin's  Street,  Melbourne. 

The  Victoria  Society  is  another 
Society  which  is  not  ashamed  to  publish 
its  Balance  Sheet.  A  balance  of  £27 
17s.  2d.  to  its  credit,  the  Committee 
thinks  very  satisfactory.  The  exhibition 
of  collections  at  the  meetings  was 
continued  during  the  year  with  success, 
and  was  instrumental  in  improving  the 
attendance.  The  Committee  inaugu- 
rated a  system  of  competitive  ex- 
hibitions, which  have  proved  of  great 
interest. 

At  a  recent  meeting  we  note  that  the 
Deputy  Postmaster-General  kindly  ex- 


hibited through  the  President  the  new 
issues  of  about  a  dozen  countries.  The 
management  of  other  Societies  in 
Colonial  capitals  should  take  the  hint 
and  make  friends  with  the  Postmaster's 
General  and  get  them  to  exhibit  the 
new  issues,  which,  under  the  regulations 
of  the  Postal  Union,  they  receive  from 
each  country. 


Birmingham. 


Hon.    Sec. — G.   Johnson,   B.A.  208, 
Birchfield  Road,  Birmingham. 

The  Birmingham  Society  may  be  said 
to  be  the  great  Exchange  Packet  Society. 

The  smallest  amount  circulated  was 
in  Aug.  1898     ...     £1662     7s.     2|d. 

The  largest  amount  circulated  was  in 
Feb.  1898         ...     £5047  15s.     5d. 

Total    circulated,  Oct.    1st,    1897,    to 
Sept.  30th,  1898,  £37,424  10s.  1  id. 

The  following  table  shows  its  abnormal 
growth  in  membership. 

Members. 
Oct.  1st.  '92,  to  Oct.  1st,  '93,  there  were  26. 
'93-  ..  '94,  ..  45- 

'94.  ,.  '95.  ,,  77- 

'95.  »»  '96.  ,.         156. 

'96,  „  '97,  ,,         227. 

'97.  >-  '98,  ,,         241. 

The  secret  of  its  success  of  course  is 
that  it  yields  its  members ;  country  as 
well  as  town,  a  substantial  return  of 
priviliges  for  their  subscriptions  It  is 
not  afraid  to  publish  its  balance  sheet, 
for  it  shows  a  balance  in  hand  of  £62. 


PROGRAMME. 

Oct.  5th, 

1899. 

Annual  Meeting. 

Nov.  2nd 

Display,  South  Australia. 

Dec.  7th 

» 

Paper.Mexico.with  exhibit  of  collect- 
ion.    Mr.  W.  T.  Wilson. 

Jan.  4th, 

1900. 

Display,  with  Notes,  British  North 
America.     Mr.  W.  Pimm. 

Feb.  1  st 

,, 

Paper,  Egypt.     Mr.  G.  Johnson. 

Mar.  1st 

,, 

Display,  West  Indies. 

April  5th 

,, 

Paper.     Mr.  R.  Hollick. 

May  3rd 

.. 

Display,  African  Colonies. 

208 


The    Philatelic    Record. 


Echoes    from    the    Mart. 


Anticipations. 


Dealers  are  full  of  hope  of  a  good 
winter  season.  Last  year  the  sale  of 
albums  here  and  in  the  United  States 
was  very  large — in  fact,  unprecedented. 
Consequently  the  expectation  is  that 
the  process  of  filling  all  the  albums 
bought  must  swell  the  volume  of  trade 
this  winter.  West  Indians,  after  being 
under  a  considerable  cloud  as  the  result 
of  a  reaction  after  a  boom,  are  said  to 
be  creeping  into  favour  again,  but  just 
now  the  stamps  of  the  Transvaal  and 
the  Orange  Free  State,  in  anticipation 
of  coming  events  are  selling  rapidly. 
Some  dealers  have  been  entirely  cleared 
out  of  the  current  issues  of  the  Trans- 
vaal. 

Harry  Hilckes  &  Co.,   Ltd. 

A  Winding  up  order  has  been  made 
in  the  case  of  Harry  Hilckes  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
The  Official  Receiver  will  act  as 
Liquidator  and  a  committee  of  inspect- 
ion has  been  appointed  to  investigate 
the  company's  affairs. 

A  New  Firm. 

Mr.  W.  B.  Kirkpatrick,  of  Bourne- 
mouth, and  P.  Loines  Pemberton,  son 
of  the  never  to  be  forgotten,  E.  L. 
Pemberton,  of  Pemberton  &  Wilson 
fame,  have  entered  into  partnership  and 
opened  a  place  of  business  as  stamp 
dealers,  at  202,  High  Holborn,  London. 
The   new    firm   have    taken     over    the 


publication  of  the  Philatelic  Journal  of 
Great  Britain,  the  long  winded  title  of 
which  it  is  to  be  hoped  they  will  merci- 
fully abbreviate. 

£i,yoo  For  Foreign  Stamps. 

No  less  than  £1,700  was  realised  by 
Messrs.  Ventom,  Bull,  and  Cooper's  sale 
of  foreign  stamps,  which  came  to  an 
end  at  the  St.  Martin's  Town  Hall  last 
evening. 

The  stamps  which  fetched  the  highest 
prices  were  : — 1851,  2  reales,  red,  un- 
used, Spanish,  £25  10s. ;  2  soldi,  unused, 
Tuscany,  £22  ;  3  lire,  yellow,  Tuscany, 
£35  and  £43  10s. ;  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
the  error  ^.d.,  damaged,  £34  10s. ;  British 
Guiana,  first  issue  4  cent,  orange,  £30  ; 
and  British  Guiana,  first  issue  8  cent, 
green,  £25  7s.  6d. 

Big  Prices  For   Stamps. 

Stamps  fetched  large  prices  in  Messrs. 
Puttick  and  Simpson's  rooms  in  Leices- 
ter Square  yesterday.  A  number  of 
specimens  were  sold  for  over  £10,  while 
a  Vaud  4c.  black  and  red  large  margin 
realised  £16,  and  a  Straits  Settlements 
first  issue  12c.  green,  a  pair,  twice  sur- 
charged, brought  £20. 

The  gems  of  the  collection,  however, 
were  a  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  woodblock, 
id.  blue,  with  the  rare  error,  which  sold 
for  £33,  and  a  pair  of  Mauritius,  post 
paid,  id.  orange,  which  fetched  £31 
10s. 


Notices. 


Subscriptions. — The  Philatelic  Record  will  be  sent  post  free  to  any  subscriber  at  home  or  abroad 
on  receipt  of  6s.  Subscribers'  remittances  should  be  sent  to  the  Publishers,  Sir  Isaac  Pitman  &  Sons, 
i,  Amen  Corner,  London,  E.C.,  or  33,  Union  Square,  New  York,  U.S.,  or  it  may  be  ordered  through  any 
Bookseller,  News  Agent  or  Railway  Bookstall. 

All  enquiries  connected  with  the  Advertisement  pages  should  be  addressed  to  Mr.  E.  J.  Nankivell, 
28,  Birdhurst  Rise,  Croydon. 

All  Editorial  communications  must  also  be  addressed  to  Mr.  EnWARD  J.  Nankivell,  28,  Birdhurst 
Rise,  Croydon. 

Advertisement    Rates. -Per   Insertion,    net. 


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Advertisements  must  be  received  not  later  than  the  15th  of  the  month  for  publication  in  the  next  issue. 


The  Philatelic  Recon 

AND    STAMP     NEWS. 


DECEMBER,     1899. 


Editorial    Notes. 


ITH  our  next  number  we  shall  commence  a  New  Series  of  The 
Philatelic  Record.  The  size  will  not  be  altered ; 
To  our  it  will  be  printed  from  new  type  throughout,  and  there 
Headers,  will  be  many  other  improvements  that  cannot  fail  to 
lend  additional  value  to  the  new  Record.  There  will  be 
a  coloured  cover  and  new  paper  capable  of  printing  the  finest  process  illus- 
trations. We  shall  indulge  in  a  good  humoured  cartoon  now  and  again. 
Excellent  first-class  articles  have  been  arranged  for,  and  we  are  in  treaty 
for  others,  of  which  more  will  be  heard  in  good  time. 

The  endeavour  of  the  new  editor  and  the  new  proprietors  will  be  to 
provide  a  first-class  philatelic  journal,  interesting  to  the  Specialist,  the 
Collector,  and  even  the  Beginner. 

The  Philatelic  Record  is  now  owned  and  capitalised  by  Philatelists.  It 
has  no  dealers'  interests— amateur  or  otherwise — to  conserve.  Its  policy 
will  be  directed  towards  the  maintenance  of  friendly  relations  all  round, 
believing  that  much  more  can  be  accomplished  by  the  friendly  and  strong 
co-operation  of  those  who  have  most  at  stake,  than  by  scrabbling  in  the 
dustbins  of  shady  reputations. 

Q  ©  © 

In  future  the  Philatelic  Record  will  be  published  by  Sir  Isaac 

Order  of    Pitman  &  Sons,  Limited,  the  eminent  educational  publishers. 

Tour       Hitherto  it  has  been  run  as  a  private  subscription  journal.     In 

Bookseller,  future  it  will  be  on  public  sale  as  a  public  journal  for  which  we 

are  anxious  to  secure  a  widespread  and  influential  circulation. 

It  may  be  ordered  of  any  bookseller,  newsagent  or  railway  bookstall,  at 

home  or  abroad.       There  is  not  a  hamlet  that  our  publishing  arrangments 

do  not  cover,  and  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  it  should  at  once  be  made 

known  to  our  publishers  direct.       Hitherto  it  has  been  knocked  about  and 

battered  and  creased  in  the  post.     In  future  it  may  be  obtained  in  "  mint" 

condition  from  the  bookseller's  counter.     As  the  wise  bind  their  Philatelic 


210  The  Philatelic  Record. 

Records  as  the  best  of  all  Philatelic  Reference  books  the  change  from  the 
creased  and  battered  copy  received  through  the  post  to  the  "  mint  " 
copy  received  from  the  bookseller  will  we  hope  and  believe  be  much 
appreciated. 

As  ours  will  be  a  quid  pro  quo  policy,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  ask  every 
reader  to  help  us  to  his  utmost  ability.  We  aim  at  a  large  circulation,  and 
the  more  we  receive  the  more  we  shall  be  enabled  to  give  in  return.  We 
shall  do  our  level  best  to  provide  for  our  readers  an  up-to-date,  profitable 
and  interesting,  and  punctually  published  journal,  and,  in  return,  we  ask 
them  to  lose  no  opportunity  of  doing  their  level  best  for  us. 


Philatelists    will    be    pleased    to    learn    from    a    note    by 

Australian       "Pelure"  in    the    Otago    Witness  that    the   Government   of 

Cancellations.     New  Zealand  have  just  had  a  trial  in  Wellington  of  a  new 

cancelling  machine  which,  while  rendering  the  stamp  quite 
useless  for  renewed  postal  use,  at  the  same  time  leaves  them  quite 
presentable,  from  a  collector's  point  of  view.  The  new  machine,  which 
is  an  American  invention,  can  also  get  through  about  the  same  number 
of  letters  as  any  two  men,  which  is  presumably  the  reason  that  it  is 
likely  to  come  into  general  use. 

Tasmania  is  probably  the  greatest  sinner  in  its  utter  destruction  of  a 
stamp.  Its  cancellations  look  as  if  the  letters  were  sprawled  out  on  a  floor 
and  a  mob  of  heavy  heeled  labourers  turned  loose  to  jump  on  them.  The 
effective  obliteration  of  a  stamp  is  a  very  necessary  operation,  but  it  can 
scarcely  be  necessary  to  so  deface  the  stamp  that  scarcely  a  perforation 
shows  under  the  disfiguring  black  patch. 


The  New  Issues  which  we  chronicle  this  month  are  very 

New    Issues      plentiful   and    may   also    be   said    to    be    very    interesting. 

of  the  Month.     There   are  not  many  of  note  under  the  head  of  "  British 

Empire."  Sarawak  continues  the  resuscitation  of  its  old 
issue  of  1871  for  the  production  of  provisionals,  and  New  Zealand  has 
made  a  start  with  its  local  printing  of  the  picture  series.  But  in  our 
Foreign  Countries  Section  we  chronicle  several  new  series.  Argentine  has 
abandoned  her  excellent  portraits  and  sent  out  a  full  series  with  a 
symbolical  figure  of  Liberty  instead.  Bolivia,  on  the  other  hand,  has  sent 
us  a  well  engraved  series  with  an  excellently  executed  portrait  of  its  first 
president.  The  Republic  of  Columbia,  which  for  postal  purposes,  is  split 
up  into  several  prolific  stamp-issuing  departments,  supplies  for  Antioquia  a 
wretchedly  lithographed  series  with  a  portrait  of  a  military,  cadaverous- 
looking  party,  and  in  the  Department  of  Boyaca,  the  Governor,  anxious 
to  have  a  finger  in  the  Philatelic  pie,  turned  out,  a  la  Connelly  a  portrait 
of  himself  on  a  stamp.  This,  however,  has  been  promptly  suppressed. 
Of  the  much-talked-of  New  German  stamps  we  have  some  further  details. 
Japan  has  completed  its  new  series  and  Persia  has  reissued  its  stamps  of 
1898  with  modifications  in  the  paper,  designed  to  frustrate  the  forgers. 
Samoa,  which  will  shortly  become  a  German  possession  and  cease  from 
philatelic  troubling,  is  said  to  have  put  out  a  series  of  Provisionals  sur- 
charged "  Provisional  Govt.,"  and  we  have  a  somewhat  slender  piece  of 
information  from  a  correspondent  of  a  new  series  having  been  issued  for 
Siam. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 


211 


The   Stamps   of  Persia. 


C.  FORBES   (Librarian  and  Secretary,  Central  Philatelic  Club). 

(Continued  from  page  126). 

— — 


y: 


November,   1882. 

Engraved  from  copper  plates. 

Perforated.      Value,  5  centimes. 

Colour,  green,  with  dark  green  border. 

Design,  printed  from  plates  of  a  similar  design  to  the  5  centimes  of 
the  January  issue,  with  one  slight  alteration.  The  Roman  figures  of 
value  are  now  printed  on  a  white  ground. 

There  are  two  type  or  die  varieties  of  this  value  ;  in  the.  first  type  the 
Persian  inscription  in  the  scroll  on  the  right  hand  begins  with  three  dots. 

Type  2  :  The  inscription  begins  with  two  dots. 

Note. — Having  been  asked  on  several  occasions  the  meaning  of  the 
two  dots  on  this  stamp,  I  would  beg  to  point  out  to  readers  of  these 
articles  that  the  Persian  inscription  is  : 

nar  I  hkrabm  tsp 

p(o)st  m(o)  bar(e)  k(e)h  (i)  Iran 

For  Persian  characters,  see  stamp  above. 

Second  :  The  same  translated  in  Roman  letters,  this  is  from  right  to 
left  but  transposed  it  reads  as  on  third  line. 

The  brackets  show  where  vowels  have  been  added  by  the  writer. 

Translated  literally  it  reads  : 

"Post  Persane  "  or  "  Persian  Post."  In  type  II.  the  first  three  dots 
by  the  omission  of  the  lower  one  turns  the  "p"  into  a  "y"  "yst" 
vowels  are  never  used  in  Persian,  and  the  word  "  yest "  has  no  meaning. 

This,  I  think,  convincingly  proves  that  the  so-called  Type  II.  variety 
is  merely  an  omission  of  a  dot,  caused  through  faulty  engraving  of  the 
plate  from  which  these  stamps  were  printed. 

I  hope  I  have  made  my  meaning  clear  with  reference  to  the  above 
inscription,  it  is  rather  complicated,  but  Persian  letters  are  very  much  so. 
It  is  all  a  matter  of  where  the  dots  are  placed,  thus  referring  to  the 
above,  the  same  character  to  the  right  : 

A  dot  on  top  turns  it  into  "n";  a  dot  underneath  into  "b"; 
two  dots  on  top  mean  "t";  and  two  dots  underneath  mean  "y"; 
three  on  top  turns  the  same  character  into  "  s "  ;  and  three  underneath 
a    "p." 


212 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


These  are  but  a  few  complications  of  the  Persian  language. 


Perf.  12. 
5  centimes  green. 
5 

Perf.  12  J 
5  centimes  green. 
5 

Perf.   13. 
5  centimes  green. 
5 


Type  I. 
..      II. 


Type  I. 
..      II. 


Type  I. 
.,      II. 


Perf.   12  x  13. 
5  centimes  green.      Type  I. 

Perf.   12^x13,  and  13x12$. 
5  centimes  green.       Type  I. 

Perf.  12$  X  12. 
5  centimes  green.      Type  I. 

Perf.  n  £  x  12. 
5  centimes  green.      Type  I. 


SEVENTH  ISSUE. 


January,  1883. 
Paper  :  White  paper. 
Values  and  colours  : 
10  centimes  black,  buff,  orange  border. 

50 

1  franc   blue  and  black. 
5  francs  carmine  and  black. 
10     ,,       black,  buff  and  carmine. 

Pritited  in  Vienna,  engraved  from  copper  plates. 

Perforated. 

Design  :  Head  of  Shah,  in  an  oval  ;  figures  of  value  in  small  circle 
underneath,  with  Persian  characters  in  white  circles  in  the  two  top 
corners,  the  rest  of  the  stamp  being  filled  in  with  beautiful  scroll-work. 

The  size  of  the  10  and  50  centimes,  and  the  1  and  5  francs,  are  about 
the  same  ;  but  the  10  franc  is  a  much  larger  stamp. 


Perf.  12. 
10  centimes  buff,  black  and  orange. 
50 

1  franc  blue  and  black. 

5  francs  carmine  and  black. 
10       ,,       black,  buff  and  carmine. 

Perf.  1 2  \. 

1  franc  blue  and  black. 

5  francs  carmine  and  black. 

Perf.    13, 
10  centimes  buff,  black  and  orange. 
50 


1  franc  blue  and  black. 
5  francs  carmine  and  black. 
10       ,,       black,  buff  and  carmine. 

Perf.  \i\  x  12  and  12  X  12$. 

10  centimes  buff,  black  and  orange. 
5  francs  blue  and  black. 

Perf.  I2i.  x  13,  or  13  X  12$. 
10  centimes  buff,  black  and  orange. 
50 

1  franc  blue  and  black. 

5  francs  carmine  and  black. 
10       ,,      black,  buff  and  carmine. 


Note. — In  the  5  centimes  green  of  the  previous  issues,  and  in  the  10 
and  50  centimes  buff,  black  and  orange  of  this  issue,  the  Roman  figures  of 
value,  5,   10,  and  50,  in  the  white  circles  at  the  bottom  of  the  stamp,  are 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  213 

not  always  in  the  centre  of  the  circle.  If  the  stamps  are  examined 
carefully,  it  will  be  seen  that  a  faint  outline  is  shown  where  the  value  is  to 
be  inserted,  and  the  sheets  were  put  through  the  press  a  second  time  to 
insert  the  figures  5,  10,  and  50.  The  object  of  this  was  to  make  the 
two  plates  do  for  printing  all  the  values.  The  scheme  was,  however, 
abandoned,  as  new  plates  were  engraved  for  the  1,  5,  and  10  franc  values, 
the  figures  of  value  being  printed  on  the  plates,  with  a  groundwork  of 
black  lines  across  the  circles. 

Value  :  50  centimes  grey-black. 

Same  design,  paper,  etc.,  as  the  10  and  50  centimes  previously 
described,  with  the  exception  that  the  circles  containing  the  Roman  figures 
of  value  is  now  filled  in  with  a  groundwork  of  black  lines  similar  to  the  1 
and  5  francs.  This  stamp  has  been  issued  in  many  varieties  of 
perforation,  as  follows  : 

50  centimes  grey  black. 
Perf.  n£,  12,  13,  12  x  13,  11$  X  12,  and  \z\  x  12,  or  12x12$. 

Note. — The  change  in  the  50  centimes  stamp  was  rendered  necessary 
owing  to  the  difficulty  in  distinguishing  the  10  and  50  centimes  stamps, 
buff,  black  and  orange,  from  each  other. 

1883-1884. 

Provisional  Issues. 
The  following  stamps, 

io  centimes  carmine. 
5         „         green,  Types  I.  and  II. 
10         ,,         black,  buff  and  orange. 

were  cut  in  half  vertically  and  surcharged  in  Persian  characters  as  follows  : 

1  sh.  in  black  on  each  half  of  10  centimes  pink. 

5    ,,  in  blue  ,,  5         ,,         green.     Die  I. 

5    ,,         „  .,  5         ,.  ,,  Die  II. 

10    ,,         „  ,,  10         „         black,  buff  and  orange. 

10    ,,         ,,  „  10         ,,  ,,         ,,  ,, 

Note. — With  reference  to  these  provisions,  I  would  call  the  attention 
of  my  readers  to  the  remarks  on  the  1877  provisionals  (see  page  88),  which 
also  applies  to  those  just  described.  They  were  issued  at  Teheran  by  the 
postmaster  for  speculative  purposes,  and  were  never  officially  used  or 
sanctioned  ;  they  should,  like  the  5  shahi  of  1877  provisional,  be 
eliminated  from  all  catalogues,  as  the  surcharge  is  absolutely  bogus  in 
every  way. 

EIGHTH     ISSUE. 


March,  1885. 

Lithographed,  designed  in  Paris  and  printed  in  Vienna. 

Paper,  white  wove. 

Perforated. 

Size,  17  by  22  mm. 


214 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Currency. — The  French  system  of  currency,  francs  and  centimes,  has 
now  been  abandoned,  and  a  return  made  to  the  Persian  monetary  system 
of  shahi  and  krans.  The  spelling  of  the  word  "  shahi  "  is  now  altered  to 
"chahi,"  on  all  stamps  of  these  values  up  to  the  present  time. 

Colours  and  values  : 

i  chahi  green. 

2  ,,  rose  and  carmine. 

5  ,,  slate. 

5  ,,  dull  blue. 

5  ,,  bright  blue. 

5  ,,  bluish  violet. 

5  ,,  purple. 

Design  :  A  lion  resting,  surrounded  by  the  sun  rays,  in  the  form  of  an 
octagonal  star,  below  a  small  coloured  circle,  enclosing  the  Roman  figure 
of  value  with  the  letter  "  C  "  on  one  side  and  "  H  "  on  the  other.  On  the 
left  of  this  the  words  "  Poste  Persane,"  on  the  right  the  same  written  in 
Persian  characters,  in  the  two  top  corners  are  Persian  characters 
denoting  the  value  and  country  of  origin,  the  remainder  of  the  stamp  being 
filled  in  with  intricate  scrollwork. 


Perf.  1 1 \. 

i  chahi  green. 

2       ,,     rose  and  carmine. 

5       „     slate. 

5       ,,     dull  blue. 

Perf.  12. 

i  chahi  green. 

2  ,,     rose  and  carmine. 

5  „     dull  blue. 

5  ,,     bluish  violet. 

5  ,,     slate. 

5  ,,     purple. 

Perf.  i2£. 

i  chahi  green 

2  ,,     rose  and  carmine. 

5  ,,     dull  blue. 

5  ,,     bluish  violet. 

5  ,,     slate. 

5  „     purple. 

Perf.  13. 

1  chahi  green. 

2  ,,     rose  and  carmine. 
5       „     dull  blue. 

5       „     slate. 

5       ,,     bluish  violet. 

5       ,,     purple. 


Perf.  i\\  x  12  or  12  x  \i\. 

1  chahi  green. 

2  ,,     rose  and  carmine. 
5       ,,     dull  blue. 

5       „     bluish  violet. 

Perf.  11^x13 
5  chahi  dull  blue. 
5       ,,     slate. 
5       ,,     bluish  violet. 

Perf.   12  x  13. 
1  chahi  green. 


rose  and  carmine. 

slate. 

dull  blue. 


2 
5 
5 
5      .» 

Perf.   12^x13. 

1  chahi  green 

2  ,,     rose  and  carmine. 
5       ,,     slate. 

5       ,,     dull  blue 

Perf.  12$  x  12. 
1  chahi  green. 
2 
5 
5 
5 
5 


rose  and  carmine, 
slate. 

bluish  violet, 
dull  blue, 
bright  blue. 


EIGHTH    ISSUE.— (continued.) 

m 


March,  1885. 

Paper,  white  wove. 

Perforated. 

Size,  1 7  x  2o£  mms. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  215 

Lithographed,  designed  in  Paris,  printed  in  Vienna. 
Values  and  Colours : — 

10  chahi,  brown. 
1  kran  grey. 
5  krans  violet  (shades). 

Design :  Head  of  Shah  in  oval,  Roman  figures  of  value  underneath  in 
white  circle,  two  white  circles  in  top  corners,  the  one  on  the  left  side  con- 
taining Persian  characters  ;  and  on  the  right,  Persian  numerals  of  value, 
the  sides  as  in  the  lower  values  being  filled  in  with  scrollwork,  &c. 

Perf.  11*. 
....  Perf.  11  Xi2i. 

10  chahi  brown. 
1  kran,  grey.  5  krans  violet. 

5  krans  violet  (shades). 


Perf.  n£x  12. 

i  kran  grey. 
5  krans  violet. 


Perf.  12. 

io  chahi  brown. 

i  kran  grey. 

5  krans  violet  (shades).  ^    r 

D  v  '  Perf.   12x13. 

Perf.  12$.  10  chahi  brown. 

10  chahi  brown.  *  kran  grey. 

1  kran  grey.  5  kran  violet  (shades). 

5  krans  violet  (shades). 

Perf.  12$  x  13  and  13  x  12^. 

3'  10  chahi  brown. 

10  chahi  brown.  1  kran  grey. 

1  kran  grey.  5  kran  violet  (shades). 
5  krans  violet  (shades). 

Provisional  Issues  of  1885  to  1887. 

Various  values  of  the  1882,  1883  and  1884  issues  surcharged  with  the 
word  "OFFICIEL  "  and  new  value  in  black. 

Note. — It  is  as  well  to  point  out  that  the  various  values  of  this  issue 
were  surcharged  with  the  word  "OFFICIEL"  not  as  many  imagine  to 
enable  the  stamps  to  be  used  for  "  Official  "  or  "  Government  Service" 
but  that  as  it  was  necessary  owing  to  a  change  in  the  postal  rates  and  the 
reversion  to  the  Persian  system  of  coinage  to  surcharge  the  various  stamps 
with  new  values,  and  they  were  also  overprinted  with  the  word 
"  OFFICIEL  "  to  denote  that  the  surcharges  were  absolutely  genuine  and 
some  by  order  of  the  Government. 

Secondly,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  previous  bogus  provisionals 
of  1877  and  1883  which  have  been  fully  described  in  previous  articles 
1885  to  1887. 

Surcharged  with  Roman  figures  of  value  over  those  on  the  original 
value  and  Persian  characters  denoting  the  same  on  each  side,  and  the 
word  "  OFFICIEL  "  above. 

Values. 

1885.       3  shahi  on  5  centimes   green,  Type  I.  and  II. 

6       „  5 

8      „  5 

1887.     12       „  5 

18       „  5 

Perf.  12. 

3  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type   I.  and  II. 

6       „  5  Type  I. 

8   „     5        Type  I.  and  II. 
12   „     5     „    Type  I. 
18   „     5    „    Type  I.  and  II. 


216  The  Philatelic  Record. 


Perf.  13. 

3  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type    I.  and  II. 

6       „  5.. 

8      „  5..        Type  I. 

12       „  5  ,,  „ 

18       ,,  5  ,,         Type  I.  and  II. 

Perf.  12  X  13. 
3  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type  I.  and  II. 
6      „  5  m 

Perf.  I2£x  13  or  13  X  12^. 
3  shahi  on    5  centimes,  Type  I.  and  II. 
6       ,,  5  m         Type  I. 

8  5..         Type  I.  and  II. 

Perf.   I2£. 
3  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type  I.  and  II. 
6       „  5  m 

8       „  5  m         Type  I. 

12       ,,  5  ,,  ,,       I. 

Errors. — Double  Surcharges. 

Perf.  12^  and  13. 
3  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type  I.  and  II. 
6       „  5 

Inverted  Surcharges. 

Perf.   12. 
3  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type  I.  and  II. 
6       „  5  m 

Vertical  Surcharge. 

Perf.  12. 
12  shahi  on  5  centimes,  Type  I. 

Surcharged  Diagonally. 

Perf.  12. 
8  6hahi  on  5  centimes,  Type  I. 

Values. 

1885.       6  shahi  on  10  centimes,  black,  buff  and  red. 
1887.       8      „  10        „  ,.  „ 

m  J2         ,,  IO  „  ,,  ,, 

18     „  10       „  „  „ 

Perf.  12  and  13. 

6  shahi  on  10  centimes  black,  buff  and  red. 

8  „            10         ,,               „                  ,, 

12  „             10         ,,               ,,                   ,, 

18  „            10         „               „                  „ 

Perf.   1 2  J. 
6  shahi  on  10  centimes  black,  buff  and  red. 

Perf.   12  x  13. 
6  shahi  on  10  centimes  black,  buff  and  red. 
12      ,,  10  ,,  ,,         ,,  ,, 

Error. 

Perf.  12. 

10  shahi  on   10  centimes,  first  surcharged  as  I2sh.  and  then  overprinted 

18  on  the  figure  12. 

Value. 
1887       8  shahi  on  50  centimes  grey-black. 


The  Stamps  of  Persia.  217 

Perf.  12,   13    and  12x13. 
8    shahi  on  50  centimes  grey-black. 

Perf.  n£,  12^,  n£xi2  and  12x12^  or  12^x12. 
12  shahi  on  50  centimes  grey -black. 

Errors. 
Perf.  13. 
Fifty  centimes  grey,  surcharged  with  the  word  "  OFFICIEL  "  but 
without  the  figures  denoting  new  value. 

Surcharge  inverted.      Perf.  12  and  13. 

8  shahi  on  50  centimes  grey-black. 
12       „  50  „  „ 

Value. 
Perf.  12  and  13. 
1885.       1  toman  on  5   francs  black  and  carmine. 

Error. — Surcharge  Inverted. 

Perf.  12. 

1   toman  on  5  francs. 

Note. — With  reference  to  the  above  surcharges  there  is  only  one 
genuine  type,  many  of  them  have  many  minor  differences  and  they  are 
found  varying  slightly  in  position  on  the  stamps,  but  this  was  due  to 
the  system  by  which  the  surcharging  of  the  stamps  was  performed. 
The  word  "OFFICIEL"  and  the  various  new  values  being  simply 
overprinted  by  means  of  a  hand  stamp. 

Note. — All  surcharges  on  the  1881  issue  are  forgeries,  engraved  and 
lithographed. 

The  5c.  purple,  10c.  carmine  and  25c.  green  of  the  1881,  1882  issue, 
were  never  overprinted  and  all  varieties  on  these  stamps  are  unofficial 
and  bogus. 

NINTH     ISSUE. 
November,   1889. 
Paper,  white  wove. 
Lithographed,  printed  in  Paris. 
Perforated. 
Size,  i6x2o£mms. 
Values  and    Colors. 

Perf.   11.  Perf.  13  x  13 \. 

1  chahi  rose,  pale  rose.  7  chahi  brown. 

2  ,,     blue,  pale  blue.  Perf.  11x13 J. 
5       „     lilac,  pale  lilac                                              7  chahi  brown. 

5       ,,     violet,  dark  violet. 

7       „     brown.  Errors. 


Perf.  13J. 


Perf.  11. 


5  chahi  pale  blue  in  color  of  2  chahi. 
15  chahi  lilac,  pale  lilac.  _  f;i_„ 

5       „     violet,  dark  violet.  Imperf.  between  horizontally. 


7       ,,     brown 


vertically. 


Note. — The   5   chahi  value  of  this  issue  is  found  in  a  great  variety 
of  shades. 


2l8 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


NINTH     ISSUE.— (continued). 
Same  Paper,  Size,  etc. 
Values  and  Colors,  perf.   13^. 

10  chahi  black,  grey-black. 

1  kran  orange-red. 

2  krans  rose. 
5       m     green. 

Perf.  13  x  13$. 

10  chahi  black,  grey-black. 

Error. 
10  chahi  imperf. 

Provisional     Issue. 

1,  2  and  5  krans,  bisected  diagonally  and  issued  provisionally  whilst 
waiting  for  new  issue,  these  were  only  in  use  a  very  short  time,  and  are 
extremely  scarce. 


TENTH 

ISSUE 

, 

November,   1891. 

Paper,  white  wove. 

Lithographed,  printed  in  Holland. 

Perforated. 

Size,   i6X2oimms. 
Values  and  Colors. 

Perf.   10J. 

Perf.  11 J 

1  chahi  black. 

1  chahi  black. 

2     „       brown. 

2     ,,       brown. 

5     ,,       blue. 

5     „       blue. 

7     ..       grey-. 

7     ..       grey. 

10     ,,       carmine. 

10     ,,       carmine. 

14     ,,       orange. 

14     ,,       orange. 

Same  Paper,  etc 
Size,   19^x23^. 
Values,   1,  2  and  5  krans 
Perf.    10  £. 
1  kran    green. 


TENTH     ISSUE.— (continued). 


2  krans  orange. 
5      „       yellow. 


Perf.  n£. 

1  kran    green. 

2  krans  orange. 
5      ,,      yellow. 


ELEVENTH     ISSUE. 


November,   1894. 
Paper,  white  paper. 
Typographed,  printed  in  Holland. 
Size,  i7X22^mms. 
Perforated,   I2-J-. 
Values  and  Colors: 


Same  Paper,  etc. 
Perf   11^  XII. 


1  chahi  lilac. 

2  ,,     green. 

5       ,,     ultramarine,  pale  blue. 
8       ,,     brown. 

ELEVENTH     ISSUE.— (continued). 


The  Stamps  of  Persia. 


219 


Values  and  Colors : 

10  chahi  orange. 
16       ,,      rose. 

1  kran    red,  yellow  border. 

2  krans  brown,  blue      ,, 
5       „      violet,  silver     ,, 

10       ,,      rose,  gold         „ 
50       ,,      green    ,, 

January,  1898. 

Provisional  Issue. 

Surcharged  with  new  values  in  Roman  and  Persian  characters. 

5  ch.  on  8  ch.  of  1894  issue. 

1  kran    on  5  kr.      ,,         ,, 

2  krans  on  5     ,,      „         „ 

The  5ch.  and  1  kran  are  surcharged  in  violet,  and  the  2kr.  in  carmine 
ink. 

These  provisionals  were  only  in  use  a  few  months,  the  surcharges  are 
hand  stamped,  and  the  position  of  the  surcharge  varies  in  position,  there 
is  only  one  type  for  each  value. 

Error. 
5  ch.  on  8  ch. 

Double  surcharge. 

TWELFTH     ISSUE. 
March,   1898. 

Paper,  white  wove. 

Perforated. 

Typographed,  printed  in  Holland. 

Values  and  Colors,  perf.   \i\. 

Type  same  as  1894  issue. 


1  chahi  grey. 

2  ,,       brown. 

3  „       purple. 

4  „       vermilion. 

5  ,,       yellow. 


8  chahi  orange. 
10     ,,       blue. 
12     ,,       carmine. 
16     ,,       green. 


TWELFTH     ISSUE.— (continued). 


Same  Paper,  etc. 
Type  as  above. 
Perf.   12^x12. 
Values  and   Colors. 


I 

kran 

ultramarine. 

2 

kran 

3  rose. 

3 

,, 

yellow. 

4 

, 

grey- 

5 

, 

green. 

10 

50 

' 

orange, 
mauve. 

THIRTEENTH     ISSUE. 
March,  1898. 

Same  as  last  but  the  various  stamps  are  surcharged  in  different  inks 
with  various  hieroglyphic  characters. 

Note. — The   official    and   unpaid   letter   stamps   were   never   issued  ; 
they  are  purely  essays  and  of  no  philatelic  value. 


220 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


New   Issues. 


The  earliest  information  as  to  New  Issues  will  be  much  appreciated  by  us,  and  will  be  duly  credited  to 

the  correspondent,  or  firm,  sending  it.       Our  foreign  subscribers  can   materially 

help  us  in  this  direction.       When  possible  a  specimen,  should  accompany 

the  information,  and  be  addressed  to  the  Editor, 

Mr.  Edward  J.  Nankivell,  28,  Birdhurst  Rise,  Croydon 


British   Empire. 


Cook  Islands.— The  Australian  Phila- 
telist says  that  on  the  sheets  of  the  lately 
issued  '  ONE '—' HALF'— '  PENNY,' 
on  id.  blue,  two  stamps  are  without 
a  full  stop  after  '  PENNY.'  One  sheet 
had  the  surcharge  printed  twice.  Of 
this  surcharge,  made  in  order  to  defeat 
a  fraud,  £40  worth,  or  19,200  stamps, 
were  surcharged.  The  id.  brown,  perf. 
11,  and  watermarked  star  and  N.Z.  is 
now  being  used  instead  of  the  id.  blue. 

India.  Alwar. — We  have  the  new 
\  anna,  perforated,  from  Messrs.  Whit- 
field King  &  Co.  The  perforation  is 
somewhat  roughly  done  and  measures 
12. 

Adhesive. 
%  anna,  perf.   12. 

New  Zealand. — Mr.  L.  A.  Sanderson 
sends  the  Australian  Philatelist,  the  new 
4d.  which  was  issued  on  the  29th  of 
August.  The  A. P.  says  the  design  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  id.  with  the 
exception  of  the  new  value  label  and 
figures  in  the  lower  angles.  Owing  to 
its  similarity  to  the  id.,  however,  it  was 
withdrawn  about  a  week  after  issue, 
but  will  be  re-issued  when  the  id.  value 
of  the  present  type  is  exhausted — proba- 
bly some  months  hence.  The  4d.  stamp 
was  printed  locally  from  a  new  plate 
prepared  by  Waterlow  and  Son ;  it  is  on 
unwatermarked  paper,  and  is  perf.  n. 
Mr.  Sanderson  also  sends  a  copy  of 
the  locally  printed  gd.  unwatermarked, 
perf.  11. 

Adhesives. 
4d.  (new  type)  brown  and  blue,  perf.  1 1 
gd.  dull  purple,  perf.  11. 

North  Borneo.  —  Last  month  we 
chronicled  a  series  of  Labuan  sur- 
charged in  black,  "4 — cents."  Messrs. 
Whitfield  King  &  Co.  now  send  us  the 
following  North  Borneo  stamps  of  the 
current  series  similarly  surcharged. 

Adhesives. 
4c.  in  black  on  5c.  black  and  orange-red. 
4c.  ,,  6c.  ,,  brown-ochre. 


4c. 

4c. 

4c. 


dull  purple, 
blue. 


8c. 

I2C. 

18c.  ,,  green. 

24c.  blue  and   lake. 


Queensland.— The  Philatelic  Journal 
of  Great  Britain  says  the  £d.  value  is  to 
be  issued  with  larger  figures  of  value  in 
the  corners  and  tbe  5d.  with  the  figure 
of  value  in  each  corner. 

Sarawak. — Last  month  (p.  201)  we 
chronicled  2c.  and  4c.  provisionals, 
surcharged  on  the  stamps  of  1871. 
Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co.  now  send 
us  a  3c.  of  1871,  surcharged  "  2 — cents" 
in  two  lines. 

Adhesive. 
2C.  in  black  on  3c.  brown  on  yellow. 

South  Australia. — The  id.  value 
has  been  changed  from  green  to  rose- 
red,  we  have  the  2d.  from  orange  to 
violet,  and  the  Monthly  Journal  chroni- 
cles some  fresh  varieties  of  perforation 
as  per  list. 

Adhesives, 

id.  rose-red  ;  perf  13. 

2d.  violet  ;  perf.  13. 

10s.  green  ;  perf  \\%  by  12%. 

2s.  6d.  lilac  ;  perf.  nj^,  large  holes. 

5s.  rose  ,,  ,, 

;6'i  blue  ,,  ,, 

Straits  Settlements.— The  A  ustralian 
Philatelist  states  that  the  4c.  stamp  has 
been  issued  again  in  rose,  as  in  1883, 
and  that  the  5c.  has  appeared  in  a  new 
colour. 

Adhesive. 
5c.  plum  ;  wmk.  Crown  and  CA. 

Johore. — The  Monthly  Journal  has 
received  a  4c.  stamp  of  the  current 
type,  etc.,  in  new  colours,  the  design 
being  in  yellow,  with  the  value  in  red. 

Adhesive. 
4c.  yellow  and  red. 

Pahang.—  The  Monthly  Journal  has 
received  the  5c,  Tiger's  Head  type, 
surcharged  "Four  cents,"  in  black,  with 
a  bar  across  the  value  at  the  top. 

Adhesives. 

4c.  on  5c.  lilac  and  ochre. 
4c.  lilac  and  carmine. 


New  Issues. 


221 


Foreign   Countries. 


Argentine. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  & 
Co.  send  us  the  new  series  which  we 
will  illustrate  in  our  next  number.  The 
portrait  has  given  place  to  a  much  less 
interesting  figure  of  Liberty  seated  by 
a  shield.  The  stamps  are  the  work  of 
the  South  American  Bank  Note  Co. 
Paper,  thickish  wove  ;  watermark,  Sun  ; 
perf.,  ill 

Adhesives. 

%c.  bistre. 

ic.  green. 

2C.  indigo. 

5c  carmine, 

loc.  dark  green. 

12c.  sky  blue. 

16c.  orange. 

20c.  brown-red. 

24c.  violet. 

30c.  rose. 

50c.  Prussian  blue. 

1  p.  blue  and  centre  black. 

5p.  orange       „ 

iop.  green         ,,  ,, 

2op.  carmine     ,,  ,, 

Belgium. — It  is  said  that  the  current 
if.,  owing  to  the  10c.  being  now  carmine, 
will  be  changed  in  colour  to  green. 

Bolivia. — We  have  received  a  new  set 
engraved  by  the  South  American  Bank 
Note  Co.  with  portrait  of  Don  Antonio 
Jose  de  Sucre,  first  President  of  Bolivia. 
Paper,  wove  ;  perf.  11^.  The  P.J.G.B. 
gives  the  perf.  as  12.  We  have  measured 
several  and  they  all  gauge  \i\  true. 

Adhesives. 

ic.  slate-blue. 

2C  vermilion. 

5c.  blue-green. 
10c.  orange. 
20c.  rose. 
50c.  chestnut. 

ib.  violet. 

Colombia.  Antioquia. — This  depart- 
ment of  the  Republic  of  Colombia  has 
been  provided  with  a  lithographed  set 
with  portrait,  of  which  Messrs.  Whitfield 
King  &  Co.  send  us  specimens.  Paper, 
wove;  perf.  11^.  There  is  also  a  Regis- 
tration Stamp  of  the  oblong  pattern. 

Adhesives. 
%c.  blue-slate. 

ic.  pale  blue-slate. 

2C.  black, 
z^c.  blue-green. 

4c.  deep  brown. 

4c.  green. 
10c.  vermilion. 
20C.  purple. 
50c  olive. 

1  peso  dark  green. 

Registration. 
2.y2c.  slate-blue. 

Boyaca. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
inform  us  that  this  department  of  the 
Republic  of  Columbia  has  issued  a 
solitary  stamp  of  the  value  of  5  centavos, 


bearing  a  portrait  of  the  Governor  of 
Boyaca.  In  consequence  of  this 
portrait  the  Columbian  Government 
suppressed  the  stamp  after  it  had  been 
in  use  a  few  days  only,  so  that  its 
history  resembles  that  of  the  celebrated 
"  Connell "  New  Brunswick  stamps. 
Paper,  wove  ;  perf.  13  ;  lithographed. 

Adhesive. 
S  centavos  yellow-green. 

Dominican  Republic. — We  have  from 
Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co.,  four 
values  of  the  new  set  issued  to  raise  the 
funds  for  defraying  the  expense  of  cart- 
ing the  so-called  Columbus  bones  to  a 
new  resting  place.  Lithographed  on 
white  wove  paper,  perf.  u|.  In  size 
they  resemble  the  U.S.  Columbus.  The 
ic.  and  2c.  are  oblong  and  the  5c.  and 
ioc.  long  rectangular. 

Adhesives. 
ic    mauve,    voyage    of    Mendez    and  Fiesco    from 

Jamaica  to  S.  Domingo 
2C  red,  Elevation  of  Euriquill 
5c.  blue,  Tomb  of  Columbus, 
ioc  orange,  Spain  guarding  the  remains  of  Columbus. 

France.  Indo  China. — The  Metropolitan 
Philatelist  says  the  75c.  has  been  dis- 
covered with  the  name  inverted.  This, 
it  remarks,  appears  to  be  due  to  a 
misplaced  block  and  not  to  an  inverted 
sheet,  as  a  pair  has  been  seen  with  the 
name  inverted  on  one  of  the  stamps 
and  right  side  up  on  the  other. 

Adhesive. 
75c  black  on  orange,  name  inverted. 

Germany.— Mr.  Frank  sends  Ewen's 
We-kly  Stamps  News  particulars  of  the 
new  issue  now  in  preparation.  The 
values  are  to  be  3,  5,  10,  20,  25,  30,  40, 
50,  and  80  pfennig,  and  1,  2,  3  and  5 
marks.  The  E.  W.S.N,  gives  the  follow- 
ing detailed  description  of  the  lower 
values : 

3,  5,  10,  20  pf.,  colours  as  at  present,  white  paper; 

design,  bust  of  Germania. 
25pf.,    printed   in   black   on    yellow,    with    orange 

frame. 
3opf.,  black  on  chamois,  frame  orange. 
4opf.,  black  on  white,  frame  carmine. 
5opf. ,  black  on  chamois,  frame  violet. 
Sopf.,  black  on  rose,  frame  carmine. 
Design  of  values  25  to  8opf.  :  Germania  in  centre, 

"  Reichspost  "  at  top  and  value  below. 

The  higher  values  are  to  be  of 
pictorial  designs,  similar  to  the  U.S. 
Columbus  issues. 

Guatemala. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King 
&  Co.  send  us  the  current  5  centavos 
surcharged  in  red,  in  block  type,  capitals 
and  small  letters,  "Un  1  Centavos, 
1899,"  in  two  lines. 


222 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Adhesive. 
ic.  on  5c.  violet. 

Japan.— Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
send  us  additional  values  completing 
the  new  series.  They  are  perf.  12,  on 
thickish  wove  paper,  unwatermarked. 
The  1  yen  is  embossed.  The  full  set  is 
as  follows : — 

Adhesives. 

5  rin  grey. 

1  sen  pale  brown, 

2  ,,    yellow-green. 
1    ,,   lake. 


carmine, 
pale  orange, 
olive, 
blue, 
violet, 
orange, 
pale  green, 
brown. 


1  yen  carmine. 

Persia. — Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co. 
inform  us  that  a  fresh  issue  has  been 
made  of  the  same  design  as  the  1898 
issue,  but  the  Shahi  values  are  on  a  grey 
tinted  paper  instead  of  white,  and  the 
kran  values  are  printed  in  new  colours 
on  white  paper.     Perf.  12^. 

Adhesives. 

is.  grey. 

2s.  brown. 

3s.  violet. 

4s.  brick-red. 

5c.  yellow. 

8c.  orange, 
ioc.  blue. 
i2c.  carmine. 
16s.  green. 

ik.  carmine. 

2k.  green. 

5k.  lilac. 

4k.  brick-red. 

5k.  coffee. 
10k.  deep  blue. 
50k.  brown-red. 

Portugal.  Macau. — Messrs.  Bright  & 
Son  send  us  copies  of  current  Colonial 
Provisionals  as  per  list.  The  original 
value  in  each  case  is  cancelled  with 
three  short  bars,  and  the  new  value  in 
figures  is  overprinted  in  the  left-hand 
corner.  The  word  "  Provisario  "  is 
printed  above  the  name  of  the  Colony 
in  small  sans  serif  capitals.  The  over- 
printing in  this  case  has  been  done  at 
Lisbon. 

Adhesives. 
5  avo  on  13a.  mauve. 
10        ,,       16a.  blue  on  blue. 
15        „       24a.  brown  on  yellow. 
20        ,,       31a.  purple  on  pale  rose. 

Timor. — We  have  received  only  two 
values  for  this  Colony. 

Adhesives. 
10  avo  on  16a.  blue  on  blue. 
20        „       31a.  purple  on  pale  rose. 

Samoa. — The  Weekly  Philatelic  Era 
says  the  current  series  has  been  sur- 
charged "  Provisional  Govt."  as  follows  : 


Adhesives. 
}4d.  green,  red  surcharge. 
id.  red-brown,  blue  surcharge. 
2d.  orange,  red  surcharge. 
4d.  blue  ,,  ,, 

5d.  red  blue        ,, 

6d.  violet  ,,         ,, 

is.  red  ,,         ,, 

2s.  6d.  violet,  red       ,, 

Siam. — Mr.  S.  Hood  Beng  informs  us 
that  "new  stamps  have  been  issued  in 
all  the  principal  provinces,"  and  that  he 
has  "  the  2  atts  green  and  4  atts  red  ; 
face  to  right."  The  information  is 
somewhat  scanty. 

Spain.— The  Timbres  Poste  chronicles 
the  following  changes  of  colour  in  the 
current  series. 

Adhesives. 
2C  black, 
ioc.  red. 
20c.  orange. 

United  States  (Cuba). — We  illustrate 
the  new  designs  for  Cuba. 


Adhesives. 

1  cent  green  ;  design  statue  of  Columbus. 

carmine       ,.      palm  trees. 
3     ,,     purple         ,,      allegorical  figure  of  Cuba. 
5     ,,     blue  ,,       ocean  steamship. 

brown  ,,       native  ploughing,     [on  bicycle. 

orange  (special  delivery)  ;  design,  messenger 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


223 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


Mexico  :    Proposed   New 
Issue. 

Mexico  has  promised  us  for  some 
time  a  very  attractive  picture  series 
after  the  prevailing  fashion.  We  quote 
particulars  from  Philatelic  Facts  and 
Fancies  the  following  translation  from 
the  Telegraphic  Bulletin  of  Mexico, 
which  will  interest  collectors  of 
Mexicans  : — 

Under  date  of  August  ioth,  M.  de  Zama- 
cona  Y.  Inclan,  postmaster-general  of  Mexico, 
promulgated  the  following  circular  of  infor- 
mation : — 

For  the  facility  of  the  public  in  franking 
correspondence,  the  department  of  communi- 
cation and  public  works  will  circulate  the 
postal  issues  of  April  2,  1895,  that  are  now 
in  use,  until  Jan.  31,  1900,  the  term  fixed  in 
the  resolution  of  July  31st  last,  quoting  at 
the  same  time  for  the  information  of  the 
public  the  following  rules  : — 

1.  In  accomplishment  of  the  provisions 
of  article  43  of  the  decree  of  Jan.  26,  i8qg, 
and  No.  184  of  the  postal  code  now  in  force  : 
a  Under  the  head  of  correspondence  is  com- 
prehended all  articles  that  are  admissable  for 
transmission  through  the  mails,  b  Under 
the  denomination  of  postal  emissions  are 
comprehended  stamps,  single  and  reply 
postal  cards,  wrappers,  single  and  reply 
letter  cards  and  stamped  envelopes. 

2.  The  postage  stamps  of  1895  will  only 
be  on  sale  in  all  post  offices  until  the  31st  of 
October  and  the  new  issue  will  be  sold  at  the 
same  offices  from  November  1,  1899,  until 
further  notice. 

3.  All  correspondence  that  is  deposited  at 
the  post  office  or  mailed  in  letter  boxes  before 
November  1st  must  only  be  franked  with 
postage  stamps  of  the  issue  of  1895.  Letters 
deposited  from  November  1st  until  January 
31st,  igoo,  may  be  franked  indiscriminately 
with  the  stamps  of  1895  or  those  of  the  issue 
of  1899.  Mail  matter  deposited  after  and 
including  February  1st,  1900,  must  only  be 
franked  with  the  stamps  of  1S99  until  further 
notice  is  given. 

4.  From  November  1st  until  January  31st, 
igoo,the  postal  officials  will  exchange  for  all 
who  may  request  it  the  postage  stamps  of 
1895  for  the  new  issue.  Such  exchange  will 
be  made  gratuitously  by  the  postal  officials, 
who  will  be  held  strictly  responsible  that  all 
stamps  which  are  received  from  the  public 
are  genuine,  uncancelled,  and  in  perfect  con- 
dition. Postal  and  letters  cards,  wrappers 
and  stamped  envelopes  bearing  addresses, 
advertisements  or  illustrations,  whether  typo- 


graphed,  lithographed  or  engraved,  will  also 
be  exchanged,  if  in  condition  as  before  men- 
tioned. Stamps  pasted  on  postals,  envelopes, 
or  any  kind  of  documents  will  not  be  ex- 
changed. As  a  general  rule  there  will  be 
given  in  exchange  the  same  class  and  values 
of  stamps  of  the  new  issue  as  are  received 
from  the  public.  Only  in  cases  where  the 
post  offices  may  not  have  the  same  kinds  and 
values  on  hand  the  equivalent  will  be  given 
in  the  stamps  nearest  to  those  presented  for 
exchange. 

5.     The  values,  colours,  and  designs  of  the 
new  issue  will  be  as  follows : — 

STAMPS. 

i  centavo  national  coat  of  arms,  ■  merald- 
green. 

2  centavos  national  coat  of  arms,  ud. 

3  centavos    national    coat     of    arms,  light 

brown. 
5  centavos  national  coat  of  arms,  Prussian 

blue. 
10  centavos  national  coat  of  arms,  orange  on 

lilac  ground. 
15  centavos  national  coat  of  arms,  crimson  on 

pearl  gray  ground. 
20  centavos  national  coat  of  arms,  Prussian 

blue  on  bright  red  ground. 
50  centavos  national  coat  of  arms,  view  of 

the  cascade  of  Juanacatlan   in   black 

with  pale  violet  frame. 

1  peso'  national    coat    of    arms,    view    of 

Mount    Popocatapetl   in    black    with 
ultramarine  blue  frame. 
5    pesos   national    coat  of    arms,    view   of 
Cathedral   of   Mexico   City   in    black 
with  carmine  frame. 

LETTER    CARDS. 

2  centavos  single,  national  coat  of  arms    in 

relief  on  red  ground. 
2  centavos  with  reply  card,  national  coat  of 

arms  in  relief  on  red  ground. 
5  centavos  single,  national  coat  of  arms    in 

relief  on  Prussian  blue  ground. 
5  centavos  with  reply  card,  national  coat  of 

arms  in  relief  on  Prussian  blue  ground. 

POSTAL     CARDS. 

1  centavo  single,  national  coat  of  arms   in 
relief  on  light  green  ground. 

1  centavo  with  reply  card,  national  coat  of 

arms  in  relief  on  light  green  ground. 

2  centavos  single,  national  coat  of  arms  in 

relief  on  red  ground. 

2  centavos  with  reply  card,  national  coat  of 

arms  in  relief  on  red  ground. 

3  centavos  single,  national  coat  of  arms   in 

relief  on  light  brown  ground. 
3  centavos  with  reply  card,  national  coat  o  f 
arms  in  relief  on  light  brown  ground  . 


224 


The    Philatelic    Record. 


STAMPED    ENVELOPES. 

2C  national  coat  of  arms,  in   relief  on  red 

ground. 
5c.  national  coat  of  arms, in  relief  on  Prussian 

blue  ground, 
ioc.  national  coat  of  arms,  in  relief  on  lilac 
ground. 

WRAPPERS. 

i  centavo,  national  coat  of  arms,  in  relief 

on  light  green  ground. 
2  centavos,  national  coat  of  arms,  in  relief 

on  red  ground. 

Mexico,  August  10th,  i8gg. 

Condition. 

Mr.  Castle  publishes  in  the  October 
number  of  the  London  Philatelist  an  excel- 
lent paper  which  he  read  at  a  meeting 
of  the  London  Philatelic  Society  in 
January  last.  He  insists  in  conformity 
with  the  practice  of  all  leading  special- 
ists in  this  country  upon  fine  conditions 
as  a  sine  qua  non  in  the  formation  of  a 
first-class  collection.  If  a  stamp  is 
unused  it  must  be  as  near  as  possible  to 
the  condition  in  which  it  was  first 
issued  ;  if  used,  as  lightly  cancelled  as 
possible.  In  unused  he,  of  course, 
insists  on  original  gum.     But  we  quote  : 

ORIGINAL    GUM. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  blind  faith  in  the 
matter  of  O.G.  !  Great  prices  are  asked  for 
stamps  with  a  most  innocent  smooth  wash  of 
transparent  gum  that  could  be  applied  by  any- 
body, as  in  the  cases  of  some  of  the  current 
stamps  and  some  of  the  older  issues  of  the 
Colonies  and  German  States.  The  presence 
of  such  a  gum,  even  if  unsuspected  of  doubt- 
ful origin,  should  not,  as  frequently  happens, 
double  the  price  of  the  stamp.  Beyond  this 
there  are  large  quantities  of  stamps  that  are 
regummed.  Notable  instances  of  this  are 
Belgium  with  watermark  LL,  which  are 
frequently  faked  with  a  bold,  crackly  muci- 
lage that  looks  much  fresher  than  the  por- 
trait on  the  front  of  the  stamp.  The  dis- 
covery of  a  considerable  remainder  of  French 
stamps  of  the  First  Republic  and  Empire 
among  the  papers  of  the  late  M.  Hulot,  the 
engraver,  that  had  never  been  gummed,  has 
led  in  many  instances  to  their  being  fur- 
nished with  a  gum  that  would  deceive  any- 
one not  having  access  to  considerable  quanti- 
ties of  the  genuine  originally-gummed  ones. 
The  substituted  gum  in  this  case  is  whiter, 
and  although  well  crackled,  the  cracks  are 
larger,  bolder,  and  cleaner-looking  than  in 
the  old  stamps.  I  may  say  here  that  there  are 
at  last  two  kinds  of  gumming  in  the  stamps  of 
the  Republic  besides  that  named  ;  i.e.,  a  per- 
fectly smooth  and  yellowish — that  probably 
quite  late — and  thick  yellowish  gum,  un- 
evenly distributed  and  laid  on  in  broad 
parallel  horizontal  lines. 


On  the  other  hand,  there  are  other  gumg 
the  presence  of  which  greatly  adds  to  the 
value  of  the  specimen,  as  they  are  incapable 
of  imitation.  A  well-known  instance  of  this 
is  the  case  of  Hanover,  with  its  pink-rose  or 
red  gum,  that  once  moistened  stains  the 
stamp;  or  the  first  issue  of  Brunswick,  with 
pale  rose  mucilage  ;  or  the  first  issue  of  Wur- 
temburg,  with  its  dry  ciackly  cement  that  the 
Germans  call  "  white  of  egg  "  ;  or  the  curious 
thick  compound  on  the  Austrian  1850  series. 
There  is  also  the  original  greenish  thick  gum 
found  on  some  of  the  old  id.  and  2d.  Great 
Britain,  the  first  issue  of  New  Brunswick, 
Nova  Scotia,  etc.,  that  is  quite  of  a  marked 
character,  and  not  reproducable.  I  have 
known  collectors  who  prefer  a  medium  clean 
stamp  with  O.G.  to  a  brilliant  one  without, 
but  I  think  they  are  wrong.  O.G.  should 
really  only  be  accepted  in  conjunction  with 
all  other  points  as  the  proof  of  the  unused 
condition  of  a  stamp.  In  point  of  fact,  a 
stamp  that  is  not  clean  or  bright  is  hardly 
unused  at  all,  but,  au  contraire,  is  hardly 
used  ! 

MARGINS. 

Mr.  Castle  reminds  collectors  that  in 
many  cases  stamps  are  printed  so 
closely  together  that  wide  margins  are 
impossible.  His  lists  as  follows,  will  be 
useful : — 

Stamps    Printed    Closely. 

Great  Britain,  6d.,  Oct. 

Baden,  1st  issue. 

Buenos  Ayres,  1st  issue. 

Papal  States,  £,  1,  3,  4,  8baj.,and  all  centes. 

as  to  outside  border-lines  of  design. 
Thurn  and  Taxis,  early  issue. 
Switzerland.     Silk  Thread  issue 
Geneva,  small  eagle. 
Basle. 

New  South  Wales,  3d.  and  6d.,  laureated. 
Tuscany,  Savoy  Cross. 
Victoria,  1st  issue,  2nd  printing. 

ditto,  1/-,  1854-61. 
Wurtemberg,  2nd  issue. 
Dominican  Republic. 
United   States,    ic.   and  3c.   imperf.  ;    ditto, 

perf. 

Stamps  printed  wide  apart,  and  sxibseqtiently 

thus    issued,    perforated. 
Azores,  1st  issue. 
Madeira       ,, 
Portugal,  value  in  curve. 
Bremen,  3g.  and  5s. g. 
Luxemburg,  40c,  vermilion  (rouletted). 
Hamburg,  1st  issue. 
Transvaal,  1S83,  id.  black,  and  3d.  red. 

We  may  note  as  to  Transvaals  that 
the  id.  black  and  3d.  red  are  not 
exceptions  ;  as  a  matter  of  fact  all  the 
stamps  of  the  design  of  the  first  issue 
have  the  same  margins. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  account  in 
the  matter  of  the  demand  for  fine  con- 
dition Mr.  Castle  thinks  that  the  prices 


Philately  in  the  Mags. 


225 


demanded  for  mint  condition  as  time 
goes  on  will  considerably  "  Slacken  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  mint  collector." 

Those  Guam  Stamps. 

In  September  (p.  174)  we  noted  a 
report  that  an  officer  had  sailed  with  a 
packet  of  three  values  of  U.S.  stamps 
surcharged  for  Guam.  Since  then  we 
learn  copies  of  the  stamps  have  been 
received  in  the  States  and  that  a 
demand  has  arisen  which  the  U.S. 
Bureau  is  now  busily  engaged  in  supply- 
ing. In  the  Metropolitan  Philatelist 
Mr.  Bartel  tells  us  that  "  instead  of 
taking  a  rigorous  stand  and  refusing  to 
supply  such  unnecessary  issues "  the 
Bureau  "  unhesitatingly  sanctions  and 
fills  every  order  sent  in."  Not  only  so, 
but  the  three  values  have  now  been 
extended  to  the  following  list  : — 


ic, 

2C, 

3C, 

4C, 

5C, 

6c, 

8c, 

IOC, 

15c- 
50c, 

$1 

Special  Del.     10c, 


15,000 

75,000 
5,000 
5,000 

15,000 
5,000 
5,000 

10,000 
5,000 
4,000 
3,000 
5,000 


Destruction  of 
New  South  Wales  Dies. 

We  are  glad  to  learn  from  the 
Australian  Philatelist  that  under  the 
authority  of  the  Colonial  Treasurer  the 
Government  Printer  has  destroyed  all 
the  postage  stamp  dies  and  plates  of 
New  South  Wales  not  required  for  the 
production  of  current  stamps.  The 
destruction  was  effected  by  means  of  an 
emery  wheel  in  most  cases,  by  which 
the  face  of  the  die  or  plate  was  ground 
flat.  In  some  few  cases  the  plate  was 
hammered  out. 

The  following  is  a  list  from  the  A. P. 
of  the  dies  and  plates  destroyed  : 

1838. — Embossed  letter  sheet.      Steel  die. 

1850. — Sydney  View,  2d.  Copperplate.  This 
plate  had  already  been  rendered  in- 
capable of   producing  impressions. 

1851. — Laureated,  id.,  2d.,  and  3d.  Steel 
plates.  (These  also  had  been  effect- 
ively placed  hors  de  combat.) 

1854-6. — Diadem  and  Square,  id.  steel  plate  ; 
2d.  two  steel  plates  ;  6d.  two  steel 
plate  ;  8d.  steel  plate  ;  and  is.  steel 
plates. 

1856. — Registered  stamp.     Two  steel  plates. 


1862.— Queen's    Head,    2d.      Steel   die   and 

several  electroplates. 
1864. — Queen's    Head,    id.      Steel   die    and 

several  electroplates. 
1867. — Queen's   Head,   4d.       Steel  die  and 

electroplate. 
1872. — Queen's    Head,    6d.         Electroplate 

(steel  die  preserved.) 
1876. — Queen's    Head,    is.         Electroplate 

(steel  die  preserved.) 
1888. — Centennial,    id.,  2d.,  and  5/-     Steel 

dies  and  electroplate. 
1891. — Postal   Union,  2^d.      Steel   die    and 

electroplates. 

The  A  .P. says  there  were  also  destroyed 
a  number  of  electros,  copperplates,  &c, 
used  in  the  production  of  the  obsolete 
wrappers,  stamped  envelopes,  and  post 
cards  ;  the  dies  and  plates  of  the 
Telegraph  Stamps  of  1871,  and  the  die 
of  the  first  embossed  wrapper  (id.  oval), 
There  were  also  similar  dies  to  the  last 
mentioned  for  2d.,  6d.,  and  1/-,  none  of 
which  were  put  to  use  in  embossing 
stationery  for  issue. 

Only  the  dies  and  stamps  actually  in 
current  use  are  now  extant,  and  con- 
sequently there  can  be  no  more  reprints. 

Hayti  :    Perf.    14    and    16 
Frauds. 

The  Philatelic  Chronicle,  our  lively 
Birmingham  contemporary,  is  informed 
that  the  Haytian  stamps  of  1886  per- 
forated 14  and  16,  generally  considered 
to  be  the  rarities  of  this  island,  are 
frauds. 

This  discovery  is  supported  upon  undoubt- 
ed authority.  Since  August,  1889,  when  the 
first  stamp  perforated  16  was  chronicled 
philatelists  have  had  faith  in  this  stamp,  they 
have  looked  for  it  and  paid  high  prices  for  it, 
unused  it  was  one  of  the  greatest  rarities  and 
now  it  has  been  discovered  that  they  were 
made  lithographically  by  some  one  at  Cap 
Haitien  and  used  by  him  to  defraud  the  post 
office.  The  forgery  is  not  such  a  good  one 
after  all  and  it  is  a  great  wonder  they  have 
not  been  discovered  long  ago  by  philatelists. 

Bolivian  Watermarks. 

Attention  having  been  called  to  the 
occurrence  of  the  Bolivia  1894  issue 
with  watermark  double  lined  numeral, 
Mr.  A.  H.  Weber  has  gone  through  his 
collection  and  all  available  stock  and 
sends  the  result  to  the  Weekly  Philatelic 
Era.     He  says, 

I  have  a  block  of  the  four  or  five  centavos 
green  with  watermark  "  10"  and  "  11."  The 
upper  pair  are  watermarked,  one  number  on 
each  stamp,  while  the  lower  pair  are  not. 
Also  a  pair  of  the  same  value  with  watermark 


226 


The  Philatelic    Record. 


"  ii  "  followed  by  a  dash,   about  similarly 
spaced  like  the  "  10  "  and  "  n  "  in  the  block. 
In  addition  I  have  single  copies  as  follows  : 
One  centavo,  bistre,  wmk.  "  n." 

Two       ,,         vermilion,        ,,       "  10." 
Five        ,,         green,  ,,       "  10." 

Five       ,,         green,  ,,       "  n." 

Ten        ,,         brown,  ,,      "  n." 

The  other  values  20,  50  and  100,  with 
watermark,  will  doubtless  turn  up  sooner  or 
later. 

All  the  stamps  are  on  thin  hard  crisp 
paper,  perforated  14 ;  none  of  those  on 
thicker  paper,  perforated  13  or  13^,  show 
a  trace  of  a  watermark. 

The  numerals  of  the  watermark  are  10 
mm.  high.  The  one  is  4mm.  wide,  base 
7mm.  and  serif,  slanting,  3mm.  long.  The 
cipher  is  11mm.  broad  with  an  inner  oval 
of  3mm.  The  dash  is  about  7mm.  long 
and  the  same  distance  to  the  right  of  the 
middle  of  the  "  11." 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  watermark  de- 
scribed above,  is  that  of  the  paper  manu- 
facturer and  designates  a  special  quality 
and  time  of  manufacture,  as  is  customary 
in  that  trade.  The  examination  of  a  com- 
plete sheet  of  one  of  the  values  will  be 
necessary  to  establish  all  the  parts  of  the 
watermark. 

Porto    Rico  :     No    more 
Surcharges. 

Mr.  J.  M.  Bartels  announces  in  the 
Metropolitan  Philatelist  that  there  are  to 
be  no  more  U.S.  Stamps  surcharged  for 
Porto  Rico.     He  writes, 

It  has  not  been  possible  to  ascertain  the 
exact  cause  for  this  change  of  affairs,  how- 
ever, Third  Assistant  Postmaster  General 
Madden  has  issued  an  order  stating  that 
hereafter  all  rates  of  postage  prevailing  in 
this  country  shall  be  the  same  in  Porto  Rico, 
including  second  class  matter.  At  the  same 
time  he  announces  that  U.  S.  stamps  without 
overprint  will  be  recognized  in  Porto  Rico, 
which  virtually  means  that  as  soon  as  the 
present  supply  has  been  used  up,  all  future 
orders  will  be  filled  with  regular  U.  S. 
stamps. 

This  contrasts  strangely  with  the 
surcharging  of  U.S.  stamps  for  Guam. 
If  unsurcharged  U.S.  will  serve  for 
Porto  Rico  why  not  for  Guam. 

U.S.   Small    Sheets. 

Very  dear  to  the  heart  of  the 
Specialist  are  small  sheets  of  stamps. 
Hence  the  following  announcement  in 
the  Metropolitan  Philatelist  will  be  of 
special  interest  :  "  For  the  convenience 
of  the  public  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
carrying  postage  stamps  in  their  pockets, 
booklets   are   to   be  made  up  of  small 


sheets,  containing  24,  48  and  96  stamps 
each.  They  will  be  a  convenient  shape 
and  probably  have  wax  paper  to  prevent 
the  stamps  from  sticking.  A  trifling 
charge  of  about  ic.  will  be  made  for 
the  book.  Whether  or  not  the  Bureau 
will  have  to  prepare  special  plates  for 
the  stamps  to  be  used  in  these  books 
could  not  be  ascertained.  At  any  rate 
it  will  be  quite  a  startling  innovation. 
This  experiment  will  be  made  with  2c. 
stamps  only." 

If  the  idea  catches  on  we  may  expect 
a  wide  spread  adoption  of  the  plan  by 
all  those  countries  which  cater  for  the 
stamp  collector. 

San  Marino  Printings. 

The  London  Philatelist  gives  the 
following  as  an  official  list  of  the  different 
issues  and  quantities  of  the  Republic  of 
San  Marino : — 


Year 

1877. 

Copies. 

2  cent 

green 

100,000 

10     ,, 

blue 

50,000 

20     ,, 

vermilion 

300,000 

30     „ 

brown 

25,000 

40     „ 

violet 

25,000 

Year 

1891. 

5  cent 

yellow 

60,000 

25     „ 

claret 

40,000 

Year 

1892. 

5c.  on 

30c.  brown 

10,000 

5c.  on 

ioc.  blue 

20,000 

ioc.  on 

20c.  vermilion 

40,000 

ioc.  on 

ioc.  on  20c.  vermilion 

40,000 

5c.  olive-green 

100,000 

30c.  orange 

25,000 

40c.  brown 

25,000 

45c  ye 

low-green 

25,000 

1  lira 

red  and  yellow 

5000 

Year 

1894. 

2  cent 

blue 

100,000 

10     ,, 

blue-green 

20,000 

15     » 

lake 

20,000 

65     „ 

chestnut 

15,000 

2  lire 

jtown  and  buff 

10,000 

5    ,, 

ake  and  blue    . . 

5000 

Year 

1895. 

2  cent  rose-lake 

200,000 

20     ,, 

lilac 

40,000 

1  lira 

alue 

5000 

Year 

1899  (February.) 

2  cent 

brown 

50,000 

5     » 

yellow 

50,000 

Year 

1899  (June.) 

5  cent 

green 

100,000 

10     ,, 

carmine 

100,000 

25     » 

blue 

50,000 

Morocco  Agencies. 

A  correspondent  in  the  Monthly 
Journal  gives  a  ready  means  of  dis- 
tinguishing between  the  local  and  the 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


227 


London  surcharge.  The  letter  "g,"in 
the  former,  has  the  little  curl  at  the 
right  rising  above  the  top  of  the  circle, 
whilst  in  the  later  type  the  curl  is  level 
with  the  top  of  the  circle. 

Holland  :    Sheets. 

According  to  the  Philatelic  Journal  of 
Great  Britain  the  stamps  of  the  new  issue 
of  Holland  are  printed  as  follows  :  The 
values  from  £-cent  to  20  cent  inclusive 
in  sheets  of  200,  those  from  22^-c.  to  50c. 
inclusive  in  sheets  of  a  100,  and  the  z\ 
and  5  gulden  in  sheets  of  50  stamps. 


Stamps  issued  before  i8g8  will  not 
be  available  for  postage  after  January 
1st,   1900. 

Uruguay  Jc.   Provisional. 

O  Colleccionador  de  Sellos  gives  a  list  of 
quantities  of  the  Provisional  £  centesimo 
postage  stamps  of  Uruguay  issued. 

Y  centesimo  on  ic.  blue  (coat  of  arms)         . .  490,000 

Y  centesimo  on  ic.  bistre  (native)  . .              . .  515,000 

Y  centesimo  on  ic.  lilac  and  black  (Suarez)  150,000 
Y2.  centesimo  on  2c.  blue  (theatre  building-)  . .  100,000 
Yz  centesimo  on  5c.  blue  and  black  (Suarez)  50,000 

Y  centesimo  on  7c.  green  (bullshead)            . .  50,000 


Total 


■r.SSS.000 


Philatelic  Gossip. 


Philatelic   Ishmaelites. 

The  Philatelic  Journal  of  Great  Britain 
weeps  over  the  decadence  of  philatelic 
journalism,  and  hits  out  vigorously  at 
all  whom  it  may  concern,  as  follows  :— 

To  write  for  a  philatelic  journal  now-a- 
days  seems  to  be  a  very  easy  matter  ;  the 
less  philately  a  journal  contains  the  better — 
at  least  so  one  should  think  when  perusing 
some  of  them.  The  philatalic  public  is 
supposed  to  like  it  and  to  subscribe  for  such 
papers  in  increasing  numbers  every  year — 
that  they  can  keep  their  heads  above  water. 
In  such  papers  any  sort  of  nondescript  with- 
out any  previous  training,  in  some  cases  even 
a  non-collector  is  considered  fit  to  sit  in 
judgment  on  those  who  have  made  the 
subject  a  life  long  study.  They  have  about 
as  much  delicacy  of  perception  as  a  bull  in 
a  china  shop  and  about  as  much  judicious 
restraint  as  a  Dum-Dum  bullet.  Most  of 
them  are  rank  outsiders  whose  staple  stock- 
in-trade  is  impudence  and  a  certain  smooth 
way  of  saying  nasty  things,  which  in  a  good 
many  cases  would  land  them  in  the  law 
courts,  if  anybody  would  consider  them 
worth  powder  and  shot.  These  gentry  are 
the  enemies  of  all  those  who  have  the  real 
interests  of  philately  at  heart.  Generally 
they  are  either  supercilious,  splenetic,  con- 
tentious, or  still  worse  venal. 

Is  it  therefore  remarkable,  that,  what 
is  intended  to  be  criticism  should  disgust 
readers  by  its  fulsome  commendation  of 
mediocrity  and  its  viperish  attacks  on  merit  ? 

After  all  the  sort  of  thing  complained 
of  finds  its  own  miserable  level,  or  ends 
as  the  S.C.F.  has  ended. 


The  late   Mr.    Westoby. 

By  an  error  in  our  obituary  notice 
we  labelled  the  late  Mr.  Westoby 
"  Dr."  Westoby.  It  should  have  been 
"  Mr." 

On  the  authority  of  Messrs.  Alfred 
Smith  and  Sons'  Monthly  Circular  we 
may  now  add  the  interesting  fact  that 
Mr.  Westoby  edited  our  excellent  con- 
temporary for  over  20  years  past. 

Judge  Philbrick  has  written  a  notice 
of  his  friend  and  collaborator  which 
will  appear  in  the  next  number  of  the 
Monthly  Circular. 

The   Surrey   Society. 

The  Hon.  Sec.  of  the  Philatelic 
Society  which  is  in  process  of  organisa- 
tion for  the  county  of  Surrey  will  be 
glad  to  hear  from  stamp  collectors  in 
Surrey  who  are  willing  to  help.  The 
organisation  is  to  be  on  the  following 
lines : 

1.  That  membership  should  be  confined  to 
those  collectors  who  are,  or  have  been, 
resident  in  the  county  of  Surrey. 

2.  That  regular  meetings  should  be  held 
in,  say,  four  representative  or  central  towns 
of  the  county. 

3.  That  each  of  these  towns  should  be 
made  a  centre  with  a  local  secretary. 

4.  That  each  town  should  arrange  its  own 
programme  of  meetings. 

5.  That  the  dates  of  the  meetings  should 
be  fixed  by  the  General  Council  for  the  year, 
or  season. 


228 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


6.  That  the  meetings  be  held  alternately 
in  the  different  towns. 

7.  That  the  Society  be  governed  by  a 
General  Council  of,  say,  twelve  members  ; 
i.e.  three  members  elected  by  and  from  the 
committee  of  each  centre. 

8.  That  each  centre  be  worked  by  an 
executive  committee  elected  by  the  members 
of  that  centre,  the  limits  of  the  centre  of 
residence  to  be  defined  for  voting  purposes, 
each  member's  card  of  membership  to  state 
to  what  centre  he  belongs. 

9.  The  annual  congress  of  members  to  be 
movable  and  to  be  determined  at  each 
annual  meeting. 

Such  in  brief  are  my  suggestions  for  the 
general  organisation  of  counties.  The 
details  are  matters  for  discussion  in 
committee. 

The  Hon.  See's  address  is  C.  B. 
James,  Cyprus  Villa,  Sutton  Grove, 
Sutton.  The  subscription  is  only  2/6. 
It  is  proposed  to  include  Aldershot. 

The  "  Australian  Philatelist." 

We  congratulate  our  excellent  little 
Australian  contemporary  the  Australian 
Philatelist  upon  having  completed  its 
fifth  volume.  May  its  shadow  never 
grow  less.  For  English  readers  it  must 
always  have  a  special  attraction,  and  in 
the  shadow  of  coming  events  its  circu- 
lation should  greatly  increase.  Its 
editor  is  one  of  the  ablest  writers  on 
Australian's. 


Penny  Postage  to  the  Cape. 

The  following  notice  was  issued  by 
the  Postmaster-General  on  August  the 
29th  : — 

On  and  after  the  1st  of  September  next, 
the  postage  to  be  prepaid  on  letters  from  this 
country  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  will  be 
id.  per  half-ounce,  instead  of  2^d.  as  at 
present.  The  postage  on  letters  for  the 
Australian  Colonies,  New  Zealand,  and 
Rhodesia  will  continue  to  be  2^d.  per  half- 
ounce.  These  are  now  the  only  British 
possessions  of  importance  which  have  not 
adopted  the  penny  postage  scheme. 


Price    Lists. 

Messrs.  Whitfield  King  &  Co.  send 
us  their  Annual  Price  List  for  1900,  a 
34  page  pamphlet  full  of  information  of 
packets  and  sets  at  tempting  prices. 

We  note  that  W.  K.  &  Co.  have 
practically  excluded  reprints,  but  they 
give  a  list  of  a  few  they  have  left  at 
"  clearing  out  "  prices.  To  the  special- 
ist "  Reprints  "  and  "  Forgeries  "  are 
valuables  for  detective  purposes,  hence 
our  friends  will  be  glad  to  have  a  chance 
of  securing  a  small  collection  while  they 
may.  The  collector  who  makes  a  study 
of  Reprints  and  Forgeries  is  far  less 
likely  to  be  caught  napping  than  the 
collector  who  eschews  them  altogether  . 


Correspondence. 


The  Philatelic  Protection  Society. 


Sir, 

In  your  "  Gossip  "  in  the  November 
issue  of  the  Philatelic  Record  you  allude 
to  the  letter  which  I  wrote  to  the  Editor 
of  Stamps  concerning  The  Philatelic 
Protection  Association.  Now  I  must 
point  out  to  you,  although  you  must 
have  noticed  it  in  the  said  letter,  that  I 
did  not  write  as  "  a  member  of  the 
Committee  "  because  as  such  a  member 
I  should  not  have  felt  myself  called 
upon  to  write  the  letter  in  question. 

I  wrote  that  letter  in  defence  of  the 
P. P. A.,  in  my  capacity  as  President  of 
the  Association,  to  which  circumstance 
I  called  particular  attention,  and  which 
is  my  excuse  for  writing  said  letter. 

As  to  the  Secretaryship,  you  say  : 
"  When  C.J. P.  was  Secretary  the 
Association  was  very  much  alive,  but 


at  present  it  scarcely  seems  to  have  any 
vitality  left."  Now  I  should  certainly 
have  thought  that  such  an  energetic  and 
esteemed  Philatelic  journalist  like  you 
should  have  known  that  Mr.  Charles 
J.  Phillips  is  actually  the  present  Hon. 
Secretary  of  the  Philatelic  Protection 
Association.  This,  Sir,  is  not  "  Gossip  " 
but  real  fact  ! 

Hoping  you  will  find  space  in  your 
next  issue  of  the  Philatelic  Record  for 
the  above  correction, 

I  remain, 

Yours  truly, 

M.  Giwelb. 

[Well,  well  !     C.J. P.  again  Hon.  Sec. 

of  the  P. P. A.  and  so  quiet  and  retiring 

that  we  had  not  even  heard  a  whisper 

of  it  I— Ed.  P.R.] 


Societies  in  Session. 


229 


Societies  in  Session. 


Birmingham. 


Hon.  Sec. — G.  Johnson,  b.a.,  208,    Birchfield  Road, 
Birmingham. 

On  Nov.  2nd  this  Society  had  a  very 
interesting  display  and  discussion  of  the 
Stamps  of  South  Australia,  illustrated 
by  the  collections  of  Messrs.  W.  T. 
Wilson,  W.  Pimm,  and  T.  W.  Peck. 
The  discussion  brought  out  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  varieties  cannot  be  supplied 
at  catalogue  values,  and  that  collectors 
would  do  well  to  fill  in  gaps  before  the 
rise,  which  must  inevitably  take  place 
in  the  next  catalogue,  and  which  has 
already  taken  place  in  sales. 

Herts  Philatelic  Society. 

Hon.  Sec. — H.  A.   Slade,  Ingleside,  St.  Albans. 

A  General  Meeting  of  the  members 
was  held  at  Anderton's  Hotel,  London, 
on  November  7th,  and  after  the  con- 
clusion of  business  Mr.  Frentzel  then 
gave  a  display  of  the  stamps  of  Mexico 
(1856-83).  His  collection,  which  was 
practically  complete,  was  accompanied 
with  explanatory  notes  giving  an  account 
of  the  different  issues,  varieties  of  paper, 
surcharges,  postmarks,  &c,  &c.  The 
splits  of  the  1856  issue,  the  1861  errors, 
three  superb  copies  of  the  3  centavos 
Eagle  issue,  the  uncatalogued  varieties 
of  the  1866-67  issue,  and  the  Guada- 
lajaras  were  perhaps  the  most  notice- 
able. 

The  next  Meeting  will  be  held  on  the 
first  Tuesday  in  December,  when  Mr. 
E.  J.  Nankivell  has  promised  a  paper 
and  display  on  the  Transvaal  "  Stamps 
of  the  British  occupation." 

Manchester. 

Hon.  Sec. — G.  H.  F.  Gibson,  Kersal,  Manchester. 

At  a  recent  meetingof  the  Manchester 
Philatelic  Society,  the  president,  Mr.  W. 
Doming  Beckton,  read  a  paper  on 
"  The  Whys  and  Wherefores  of  Europe- 
an Reprints  "  : — 

"  In  these  days  of  advanced  specialist 
collections,  aiming  at  a  standard  not  dreamt 
of  ten  years  ago,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
he  said,  that  renewed  interest  has  been 
aroused  concerning  reprints.  Reprinting 
began  in  early  times  ;  for  instance,  the  first 
issue  of  Portugal  was  reprinted  in  1864, 
Austria  in  1865,  Belgium  in  1866,  Baden  in 
1867,  and  so  on.  There  was  plenty  of  stamp 
collecting,  but  little  philately  in  those  days. 


Even  reprints  as  such  were  looked  upon  as 
things  to  be  shunned  ;  a  little  better  than 
forgeries,  but  not  much.  In  later  years 
reprints  were  more  vehemently  tabooed  than 
ever.  Neither  the  advanced  '  generalist '  nor 
the  budding  specialist  would  tolerate  a 
specimen  in  his  collection.  Now  the 
advanced  specialist  looks  at  reprints  in  a 
different  light.  He  says  a  collection  is  not 
complete  without  them,  and  he  will  soon 
say  without  the  different  printings  of  the 
reprints.  It  thus  behoves  us  to  study  the 
varying  conditions  under  which  reprints 
were  made,  so  as  to  be  able  to  separate  the 
wheat  from  the  chaff,  for  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  the  latter.  To  be  strictly  reprints 
the  impression  must  consist  of  those  of 
obsolete  stamps  printed  from  the  same  die, 
plate,  block,  or  stone  as  that  used  to  produce 
the  originals.  When  impressions  are  printed 
directly  from  the  originally  engraved  die,  or 
from  a  new  plate  or  stone  from  that  die  they 
are  usually  included  under  the  same  term. 
Although  the  philatelist  to-day  includes  the 
reprint  in  his  collection  he  does  so  in  its 
proper  garb,  not  as  a  substitute  for  the  origi- 
nal, which  it  can  never  be,  but  as  a  represen- 
tative of  a  class  of  stamps  which  his  hobby 
has  called  into  being." — Manchester  City 
News. 

Surrey    Philatelic    Society. 

Hon.   Sec. — C.    B.   James,   Cyprus    Villa,   Sutton 
Grove,  Sutton. 

This  County  Society  which  is  in 
course  of  organisation  and  which  is  to 
be  confined  to  Surrey  philatelists  had  a 
meeting  of  the  Sutton  District  on  the 
13th  November,  when  the  President, 
Mr.  Edward  J.  Nankivell,  read  a  paper 
on  Orange  Free  States  stamps  and 
displayed  his  collection.  He  contended 
that  despite  the  number  of  surcharges 
the  country  was  an  interesting  one 
and  it  was  cheap,  but  it  might  be 
dear  in  the  near  future  as  the  result 
of  the  present  struggle  in  South  Africa. 
Few  stamps  had  a  longer  life  than  the 
first  three  issued  by  the  Orange  Free 
State,  which  remained  in  use  for  nearly 
30  years.  He  advised  his  friends  to  fill 
up  while  they  could,  especially  of  the 
5/-,  which,  though  issued  in  1879,  would 
probably  become  rare  in  an  unused  con- 
dition. 

The  Hon.  Sec.  will  be  glad  to  hear  from 
philatelists  in  Surrey  who  are  willing  to 
help  in  the  work  of  organising  the 
county.  The  subscription  is  only  2/6, 
and  Exchange  Packets  are  in  regular 
circulation. 


230 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Fiscal    Notes. 


PRIOR  to  the  emission  of  stamps  bear- 
ing their  names,  the  Colonial  Pos- 
sessions of  Portugal  were  supplied  with 
fiscalsfrom  the  Mother  Country  differing 
only  in  colour  from  the  parent  issues. 
This  arrangement  has  been  a  constant 
source  of  trouble  and  perplexity,  and, 
before  passing  on  to  the  immediate  pur- 
pose of  this  Note,  it  may  be  as  well  to 
pause  for  a  moment  in  order  to  furnish 
the  information  so  necessary  to  the 
beginner. 

The  earlier  stamps  of  Portugal  were 
all  printed  in  lilac  or  in  brown ;  those 
issued  prior  to  1867  are  all  in  lilac  and 
bear  the  head  of  Don  Luis,  subsequent 
issues  bear  as  their  principal  device  the 
arms  of  the  country,  and  since  1868  the 
value  has  been  inserted  at  a  second 
printing,  at  first  in  red  and  subsequently 
in  dull  green. 

From  the  same  plates  impressions 
were  taken  in  blue  for  use  in  the  Azores, 
in  vermilion  for  Madeira,  and  in  green  for 
the  African  Colonies  of  Angola,  Cape 
Verde,  and  St.  Thomas  and  Prince. 

The  green  set  issued  in  1876 — arms, 
with  value  above  only — was  overprinted 
MOCAMBIQUE,  in  1878,  for  use  in 
that  territory,  but,  as  far  as  is  known, 
Macao  and  Portuguese  India  were  un- 
provided for  until  the  new  Colonial  type 
with  name  of  each  possession  was  issued 
in  1879.  At  some  still  later  date  the 
set   of    Cabo    Verde    was    overprinted 

_    GUINE_       anj    thls    completed    the 

PO  H  I  U  bZA 

list  until  the  other  day. 

In  the  account  of  new  issues  appear- 
ing in  the  June  number  of  Stamps,  men- 
tion is  made  of  the  emission  of  some 
lengthy  series  for  the  Portuguese 
Colonies,  in  which  the  old  plan  of  dis- 
tinguishing those  intended  for  use  in 
particular  countries  by  colour  only  has 
again  been  adopted,  to  the  certain  future 
confusion  of  many  a  tyro. 

However,  thanks  to  the  information 
published  in  L'Ami  des  Timbres,  I  am 
enabled  to  give  timely  notification  of 
the  facts  to  the  fiscal  collecting  readers 
of  these  Notes. 


There  is  only  one  design,  a  very 
simple  one  showing  merely  the  crowned 
arms  with  CONTRIBUCAO  reading  up- 
wards at  the  left,  INDUSTRIAL  down- 
wards at  the  right,  and  ULTRAMAR  in 
a  horizontal  frame  below.  A  double 
upright  rectangular  frame  encloses  the 
whole,  and  there  are  slight  ornaments 
in  the  upper  corners  and  at  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  frame.  This  design  has  been 
printed  in  eight  colours  for  the  places 
listed  below,  and  in  the  first  six  of  them 
the  set  is  composed  of  the  following 
values  : — 

2,  5,  10,  20,  30,  40,  50,  60,  70,  80,  90,  100, 
200,  300,  400,  500,  600,  700,  Soo.goo,  iooo, 
2000, 3000,4000, 5000,10000  and  20000  reis. 

In  the  remaining  two  the  currencv  is 
different  and  the  number  of  values  much 
smaller,  to  wit : — 

i,  1,  2,  3,  5,  6,  8,  9,  10,   13,  14,  16,  31,  47, 

63,  78  and  94  avos. 

The  Colonies,  with  their  assigned 
colours  are  as  follows  : — 

Angola,  red. 

India,  blue-green. 

Cabo  Verde,  blue. 

Mocambique,  violet. 

Guine,  yellow-brown. 

S.  Thome  e  Principe,  yellow-green. 

Macau,  deep  brown. 

Timor,  violet-black. 

*  *  * 

A  correspondent  has  been  seeking 
advice  as  to  how  best  to  arrange  and 
mount  his  revenues,  and  I  am  almost 
tempted  to  reply — Don't ! 

Probably  95  per  cent,  of  my  stamps 
are  in  envelopes,  and  though  this  is 
largely  due  to  lack  of  time  for  making 
other  disposition,  the  fact  remains  that, 
broadly  speaking,  it  would  be  a  waste  of 
time  to  attempt  the  nice  and  precise 
arrangement  of  the  emissions  of  most 
countries,  for  the  continual  modifica- 
tions in  the  lists  occasioned  by  the 
frequent  discoveries  of  students  would 
cause  re-arrangements  to  be  desirable 
much  too  often. 

I  advocate  for  the  present  the  employ- 
ment of  common  books   in    which    the 


Fiscal  Notes. 


231 


stamps  can  be  lightly  hinged  with 
plenty  of  space  left  blank,  awaiting 
the  day  when  the  studies  of  the  owner 
or  the  publised  researches  of  others 
may  render  it  less  risky  to  give  one's 
treasures  a  handsome  setting. 

Such  precaution  is,  of  course,  less 
necessary  in  the  few  cases  where  the 
fiscals  of  particular  countries  have  been 
long  and  carefully  studied.  Mr.  Morley's 
Album  for  British  Colonials  should  be 
of  great  service  for  a  long  while  to  come, 
and  the  Album  for  Canadian  Revenues, 
just  issued  across  the  Atlantic,  should, 
if  properly  compiled,  exactly  supply  the 
needs  of  those  specially  interested  in 
that  Dominion.  It  may  also  well  be 
that  after  the  appearance  of  the  great 
work  on  U.S.  fiscals,  which  will  shortly 
be  in  our  hands,  tbe  arrangement  of 
the  stamps  of  this  most  popular  country 
may  safely  be  attempted,  but  I  know 
that  some  three  or  four  years  ago  1 
ventured  to  place  my  accumulation  of 
them  into  a  blank  album  that  was 
splendidly  adapted  for  their  reception, 
but  my  feeling  of  satisfaction  at  the 
result  has  been  continually  waning,  and 
I  am  not  likely  to  repeat  the  experiment 
for  a  while. 

*         *         * 

Hitherto,  Bulgaria  has  enjoyed  an 
excellent  reputation,  based  upon  the 
fewness  of  its  issues,  consistent  adher- 
ence to  one  well-designed  tj'pe,  and 
apparent  innocence  of  minor  varieties, 
but  the  student  of  perforations  has  been 
devoting  attention  to  the  locality  with 
somewhat  regrettable  results. 

The  very  curious  condition  of  affairs 
prevailing  in  connection  with  the  first 
issue  has  long  been  known  to  the  writer, 
but  much  of  the  following  information, 
including  the  announcement  of  the  seri- 
ously lengthy  albeit  strangely  regular 
sequence  of  perforations  of  the  third 
issue,  is  due  to  the  researches  of  Mr. 
F.  G.  C.  Lundy. 

Starting  with  the  first  issue(May,  1879), 
and  taking  the  list  as  given  in   Moen's 


catalogue,  the  first  point  worth  record- 
ing is  that  all  normal  specimens  are  on 
horizontally  laid  paper.  The  assigned 
perforation  of  13  must  be  negatived,  for, 
with  the  exceptions  subsequently  noted, 
every  specimen  examined  conformed  to 
the  peculiar  arrangement  of  alternate 
horizontal  rows  gauging  g£  and  12,  the 
vertical  rows  being  12J.  The  result,  of 
course,  is  that  each  value  is  met  with, 
perf.  g^x  i3^Xi2Xi2£and  also  12X12^ 
X  9^X124.  I  have  not  seen  the  10,  20 
and  50  francs  and  can  say  nothing  about 
them,  but  a  copy  of  the  100  francs 
recently  examined  measured  13^  nearly. 
The  abnormal  variety  discovered  is  the 
50  centimes  on  vertically  laid  paper  with 
the  perforation  characteristic  of  the 
succeeding  issue. 

The  stamps  of  the  second  (1883)  issue 
are  found  on  both  vertically  and  hori- 
zontally laid  papers,  and  are  all  perfor- 
ated 12  X  12^. 

The  two  provisionals  of  1889  are  on 
remainders  of  the  first  issue  so  exhibit 
the  peculiarity  already  noted. 

Thus  far  we  have  only  doubled  the 
number  of  catalogued  varieties,  but  on 
coming  to  the  third  (1889)  issue  we  are 
confronted  with  the  following  string  of 
perforations  to  be  looked  for  : — 
10J,  11,  11^,  12,  12  x  12^,  12JX  12, 12^,13, 13J 

Strangely  enough,  the  perforation  of 
the  preceding  issue  and  its  complement, 
12^X12,  have  only  been  found  on  the 
50  stot.,  whereas  all  the  others,  with  the 
exception  of  13^,  have  been  found  on  at 
least  three  of  the  six  values.  The  stamps 
of  this  issue  are  printed  on  thin  wove 
paper,  and  to  the  list  of  denominations 
given  by  Moens  there  must  be  added 
the  30  stot.,  orange. 

Of  the  current  set  (not  catalogued)  j 
know  the  10s.,  violet ;  10s.,  mauve  ;  20s., 
deep  blue;  30s.,  orange;  40s.,  dull  red; 
50s.,  green ;  50s.,  blue-green.  All  are 
on  much  thicker  paper  than  their  pre- 
decessors, and  those  in  my  possession 
are  perforated  n£. 


232 


The  Philatelic  Record. 


Echoes    from    the    Mart. 


Transvaals  at  Auction. 

The  sale  of  the  first  portion  of  Mr. 
Tamsen's  collection  of  Transvaals  by 
Messrs.  Ventom,  Bull  and  Cooper, 
evidenced  the  effect  of  pending  events 
in  South  Africa,  not  so  much  perhaps 
in  a  sensational  rise  in  prices  as  in  the 
briskness  of  the  competition.  Dealers 
who  have  hitherto  fought  shy  of 
Transvaals  vied  with  each  other  in 
obtaining  some  of  the  loot.  An  improve- 
ment in  prices  was  more  noticeable  in 
the  ordinary  run  of  stamps  than  in  the 
rarities.  Some  of  the  rarities  did  not 
go  so  well  as  at  the  Pearce  sale,  but 
others  fetched  advanced  prices.  The 
record  of  the  sale  was  £29  for  a  used 
copy  of  the  "  Transvral "  error.  There 
were  of  course  many  bargains.  The 
3d.  lilac  and  green,  surcharge  omitted, 
fetched  ^15  10s.  od.,  not  a  Ferrary 
price  ;  and  the  1/-  wider  apart  variety 
at  £6,  and  3d.  lilac  on  buff,  surcharge 
inverted,  at  £5  15s.  od.  were  decidedly 
cheap.  3d.  lilac  and  green,  italic  V.R., 
surcharge  inverted,  brought  a  good 
price  at  £7. 

Orange    Free    State    Stamps. 

The  South  African  struggle  also 
generated  quite  a  demand  for  the 
neglected  stamps  of  the  Orange  Free 
State  at  the  Tamsen  Sale.  In  several 
cases  the  catalogue  quotation  was 
reached  and  more  than  one  exceeded. 


The  four  types  of  4d.  on  6d.  brought 
£1  14s.  od.  ;  an  unused  pane  of  60  of 
3d.  on  4d.,  including  all  five  types, 
fetched  £13  5s.  od.  ;  a  horizontal  strip 
of  four  of  the  rare  type  (Gibbons'  15), 
reached  £4  4s.  od.  ;  but  the  best  prices 
were  id.  on  5/-,  Gibbons'  type  7, 
inverted,  £1  12s.  od.  ;  and  id.  on  40!. 
double  surcharge,  unused,  £1  4s.  od. 
These  are  big  prices  indeed  for  modest 
Orange  Free  State  stamps. 

Demand    for  South   Africans. 

The  war  has  made  sales  of  South 
Africans,  particularly  Transvaals  and 
Orange  Free  States,  very  lively,  one 
dealer  in  the  Strand  has  been  completely 
cleared  out  of  current  Transvaals. 

The  U.S.  Columbian,  4c. blue, 
error. 

Our  friends  across  the  water  set  great 
store  by  the  Columbian  4c.  in  the  blue 
shade  of  the  id.  At  a  recent  auction 
by  Messrs.  Bogart  &  Durbin  this  "error" 
is  priced  as  having  brought  $25.  This 
we  are  told  was  one  of  a  half  sheet  sold 
by  a  New  York  dealer  last  spring  for 
$ioeach.  Mr.  Joseph  Holmes  in  Mekeel's 
Weekly  holds  the  stamps  to  be  a  genuine 
error  and  believes  that  unless  a  new  lot 
turn  up  it  will  advance  to  a  round  $100 
within  a  few  years.  As  the  "  error  " 
is  strictly  one  of  shade  and  not  of  colour 
the  price  seems  to  us  to  be  already  a 
very  tall  one. 


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